Verograndia: Legacy of the Blade
by Rayleigh Rose
Summary: "A world where Pokemon live as humans would in a well-run monarchy. A dark, ominous force looms in the distance, threatening the very way of life for the millions of Pokemon that inhabit this land. Will the prophesied Prince stop the force, or abide by it?" It's going to be a rather... Long story, people. With Action, and Adventure, and Action/Adventure. I post once in a blue moon.
1. Chapter 1 The Beginning of Time

The Creation of the Universe

"And people thought the universe was formed by a a big bang. Silly humans."

The beginning of time… The universe was inhabited by darkness as far as the eye can see, and nothing more. The eternal darkness that roamed this barren canvas devoured everything in existence, and turned it into nothingness. If there were ever a bit of light that shone out through this ill-fated universe, the darkness would quickly snuff it out. Such was the creation of the universe…

But then the new creation of the universe came in a way most unexpected. In the form of a shapely egg. When it hatched, it gave birth to a Great Entity of mighty power. With a single cry it summoned a powerful light that could not be snuffed out. From this light, more Great Entities arose. The first to be summoned by the Original One was a powerful entity itself. It stood proudly on its hind legs, it's body coveted like pearls. The essence of Space began to materialize with its every breathe. The second Great Entity to be summoned was as powerful as the first. It stood on all fours, and it's body was as powerful as diamonds. As soon as it's heartbeat sounded out throughout the whole universe, the essence of time began to stabilize. And then there was a third, which was easily forgotten by the rest. It did not matter to the third, as it only watched silently as the three before it continued to create and design their new universe.

The basics were done soon enough, and the three large entities began to focus on the greater details of their universe. The Original One began to focus on the essence of existence in this barren canvas, the darkness being turned into dark matter and stars. The first Great Entity created galaxies and planets with the power of its space distortion. The second Great Entity focused, and with its newly gained power from the Original One, it began the essence of age. Once more, the third Great Entity only watched in silent amusement as the three before it continued with their amazing task at hand.

The Great Entities finished with the greater details of their universe far sooner than they have expected and were soon faced with a problem they did not anticipate. Despite the now bright canvas that was filled with beautiful stars, bright galaxies, and awing planets, they were missing one thing. Life. The Original One let out a mighty cry as it did upon its birth, and a New Light was summoned. From this New Light, more beings arose. The first of these Beings to come out of the New Light gazed upon the new universe. With the help of the Original One, they found a planet worthy of life. The First Being descended deep into the planet, and as it took up eternal rest, she gave birth to all that there is. The Deities called the new life-filled planet, Earth. The Second Being to appear from the New Light studied the planet will sullen interest. It descended deep into the Earth and took up rest beside her sister. As it took up eternal rest as well, time began to flow throughout the planet. The Third Being of these sisters to appear from the New light did not hesitate to descend into the planet beside her sisters. As soon as it entered eternal slumber, the life-forms began to feel hope as light and darkness spread throughout the planet. The Original One dubbed these sisters, The Great Fairies.

The Original One, followed by the Deities, descended into the planet to study how their new basis of life was playing out. Another problem surfaced. Though the new life-forms and the planet itself was a great sight to behold upon the creation of the universe, the life-forms seemed to be… Lifeless. No emotions, no knowledge, no willpower… The Original One let loose another mighty cry, and even more light appeared in the once dark canvas. From this Grand Light, three fairy-like beings emerged. The first took flight across the planet, and the life-forms below began to feel Emotions. The second took flight after the first, and instantly the life-forms began to gain knowledge. Yet, despite having the newfound emotions and the wondrous knowledge, the life-forms continued to do nothing. Then, the third took flight, and at once the life-forms below began to carry out their desires flawlessly. The three beings looked upon their creations before descending into the surface of the planet. There they remained to stabilize the lives of the planets inhabitants. The Original One called these three beings The Fairies of Balance.

The Original One and the Deities looked upon their creation's work. As the life-forms below began to carry out their purpose, they knew that their own purpose was fulfilled. The four parted ways, each descending into their own appropriate realms. The Original One took rest deep within the center of the universe, where it ensured the safety of its new home. The First Great Deity vanished into its realm of endless space. The Second Great Deity followed the First's lead and disappeared into a realm of its own. The Third Great Deity gazed silently, alone save for the life-forms before it. Slowly, it vanished into its own realm, which would later serve as it's prison in the far future.

Time passed for Earth and the universe. The first life-forms that inhabited the planet evolved endlessly. Soon, powerful entities began to appear on the planet that would shape the very globe to what it would be known for in the future. Entities that controlled weather. Entities that created seasons. Entities that brought happiness, entities that brought despair. Entities that shifted lands, entities that shifted oceans. Entities that brought complete control. Entities that brought life. Entities that brought death… In time, these entities became to be known as… Pokémon.

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><p>The Imprisonment of a Deity<p>

There was one point in time where Earth's inhabitants suffered a heavy toll in their population. Before this sudden attack that shook the world, Earth's population was thriving at the billions. Afterwards, only millions remained. Their numbers recovered over time, however, and almost all the Pokémon of the world soon forgot the massive tragedy that nearly wiped out all stable life in existence.

Those few that do remember the tragedy that struck the planet call the event, "The Dark Years." According to the accounts of those that survived the attack, the day the event started was a simple, normal day, like any other. This peaceful simplicity was ruined when a sudden shadow befell the entire Pokémon, shrouding everything in temporary darkness. The Pokémon were startled at such drastic change in the atmosphere, and even more so when a sudden rip in the sky above appeared suddenly. The rip was said to be the size of a continent. On the other side of the rip was nothing but darkness, and from within that darkness came a Pokémon unlike any other. That Pokémon flew into the planet from the rip in the sky and began to terrorize the Pokémon of the Earth. Following closely behind was an onslaught of never-ending darkness, which was said to be the same darkness that enshrouded the universe when it was first born. The darkness devoured everything as the Pokémon that invaded Earth continued to rampage across the planet. The poor Pokémon that succumbed to the darkness were turned into mindless drones that attacked anything and everything that wasn't consumed by darkness. The very few that survived the attack fled deep into the Earth to avoid the grisly fate that awaited them in the surface. There they remained, life filled with endless fear at what would befall them if the darkness had found them. Many recall the events to be the scariest and most traumatizing moments of their lives. To watch your friends and family turn into zombies and attack you in cold blood… It was a hell on earth. The invading Pokémon rampaged freely, destroying everything in its path as the mindless drones followed its lead. Millions of evolutionary years were nearly thrown away.

Eventually, the first ones, or Gods if you rather, finally realized the situation. They awoke from their slumber in their realms and invaded the planet like the Pokémon before them did. The God of Time and the God of Space stood before the evil Pokémon that brought darkness into the world once more. Together, they were a mighty match for the evil Pokémon. They have arrived to help far too late. The evil Pokémon had grown too powerful for the likes of the Gods, and they were thrown aside as the evil Pokémon reigned supreme. Right then and there, all hope drained from the world. The God of Time and Space were consumed by darkness and turned into the Evil One's underlings, much like the Pokémon before them were. But then , the Original One itself awoke from its eternal slumber, and fought the evil Pokémon head on. In an epic battle against the darkness-consumed gods, the Original One reigned supreme. The Time and Space Gods were purified of the darkness, and the evil one was banished into the dimension from once it came, along with the never-ending darkness that it brought. Though light prevailed and darkness was banished, it was at a heavy toll. The Original One suffered mortal injuries and the population remained lethally low.

Nonetheless, the Original One entered eternal slumber once more to heal it's wounds. Over time, the population would be restored once more. Humiliated by their utter defeat, the Gods of Time and Space retreated into their realms. They vowed to battle against each other annually in order to defeat the evil one once more, in case it would attempt to destroy the world again.

And so, time continued to move on. Many forgot those grueling years, and after a near millennium, it was erased from history forever. Or so they thought…

Present Day. In the land of Verograndria, a large continent that takes up almost all of Earth, the world is controlled by the six supreme kingdoms. Oolacille, the first supreme kingdom, is the leader of them all. To be king of Oolacille is to be king of the world. This mighty kingdom is located in the center of the world's largest forest, which is in a valley surrounded by mountains that pierce the clouds. Second in command is the snowy kingdom of Frostelle. It snows there year-round, and is located at the base of the mountains beside Rockfort. Third in command is the desert kingdom of Stalinda, in the East. Located deep in the desert land on the other side of the mountains of Oolacille, the world's minerals come from this sandy kingdom. Fourth in command is the mountain kingdom of Rockfort, in the North. Located on the side of the world's tallest mountain, this kingdom has a view that looks over the valley of Oolacille and into the ocean, which is on the other side of the vast continent. Fifth in command is the underwater kingdom of Aquanella, located deep in the ocean that greets the open valley of Oolacille, due South. And last in command is the plain kingdom of Breezious in the West, a Kingdom in a vastly flat land on the other side of the mountains of Oolacille. The six supreme kingdoms have been in control of the world for hundreds of thousands of years, with no flaw in their system whatsoever. This world has been under rule of monarchy for as long as it existed. And it would remain this way, despite the many problems the kingdoms would soon face. Starting with the birth of a Dark Prince…

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><p>I suppose I should have written this from the start, but at the time I hadn't much to think on. Verograndia is the first story that I've written that I've taken into serious consideration. It's still not complete, and I'd very much like to finish it. I want to see what I'm doing right and wrong first, however. So if you read this, I would appreciate some feedback. A simple review, either praising it or flaming it, would be very much appreciated.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2 The Festival of Choosing

The Festival of Choosing

"And the Ralts said, "Why am I in a maid's outfit?"

In the peaceful Kingdom of Oolacille, the morning sun shone it's brilliant aura across the the valley where the kingdom resides. Pidgeot's and Staraptor's cawed as they flew over the kingdom. The standard procedure for the kingdom's wake up call. In the large castle that watches over Oolacille, Chanceys and Tabunnes were rushing around the castle to get their morning chores done. They were the ideal maids for the kingdom. One such Tabuune was knocking on the door of a certain Prince as the rest continued with their tasks at hand.

"Please wake up my Prince. The King will be most displeased if you don't get up. You know how he gets when you drive his patience, and on this most joyous occasion as well!" Said the Audino as she continued to knock on the heavy oak doors. The occasion she was referring was the world-wide Festival of Choosing. It is to occur when the Prince of the King of Oolacille turns five years of age. Once that happens, the five other Princesses of the kingdoms surrounding Oolacille are notified of the event and are invited, if not forced, to participate. They are mostly urged by their fathers, but they go nonetheless. The point of the event is for the Prince to choose among the five Princesses, and the Princess he chooses shall be his bride forever.

And this boy was sleeping in on that very day! The Audino knocked even harder on the doors.

On the other side of the oak doors, a small figure stirred under the covers of his large bed. He groaned, trying to ignore the continuous knocking that echoed throughout the room. Finally, the small Prince poked its small body from under his covers and fell to the floor. Groaning, he stood up and began to walk towards the door, which was still being knocked on. Using his psychic abilities, the young Prince pulled the handles and let the door open for the maid outside.

"Oh good, your awake my Prince! Now hurry, we have to get you in formal royalty wear so you can properly attend the Festival of Choosing today!" Said the Audino as she rushed into the room, two sets of clothing in her arms.

"Festival of Choosing…?"Muttered the Prince as he closed the doors behind him. "… Oh right… Ugh… Such a pain…"The small Prince groaned as he hobbled over to the Audino.

"Nonsense my Prince! Today is the day you choose your own bride! It'll be romantic, and you need to look your best so you can impress the Princesses! Now quickly put these on so you could attend the festival, which you are nearly late for!" The ecstatic Audino shoved one set of clothing to the sleepy Prince, who only sighed as he began to put the clothing on.

"I'm still against this… I'm only five years of age… At the very least I should wait until I know what type I like…"Huffed the small Prince.

"Nonsense my prince! You'll be able to choose from the five most beautiful maidens from all of Verograndria! You are bound to like one of them!" Cheered the Audino. If there was one thing the small Prince liked most of his kingdom, it was the cheery maids.

"I suppose… Anyhow, I'm done putting it on. This is… Rather uncomfortable…"Said the Prince, which earned a giggle from the Audino. The small Prince hobbled over to the mirror. The color quickly drained from his already pale complexion.

"Audino… This is a maid's outfit…" Said the Ralts. Indeed, he donned the corset that snuggled his small frame neatly, and the skirt, which nearly hid his small legs rather than hide him. Both were black.

"I know! Doesn't it look cute on you?" Giggled the Audino. The small Prince fiercely ripped apart the costume.

"I'm not your doll!" He yelled. The Audino only giggled.

"Serves you right for sleeping in, my Prince! Just imagine what would happen if you went to the ceremony without realizing! Oh the look on everyone's face!"Giggled the Audino. The small Prince shuddered to think

"You'll pay for this Audino…"Muttered the Prince as he started to don his real clothing. Once he was done, he looked upon the mirror. Before him stood a small Ralts, with an even smaller silver crown nestled neatly on his protruding red disk. He wore a royal white shirt, which was the standard royalty wear, if anything, along with white cuffs at the ends of his small arms.

"Oooo… You look like a true gentlemen now, my Prince." Said the Audino in simple awe. The small Prince shrugged as he made his way for the door.

"Come now Audino, we should be on our way. I trust father really is fed up with me sleeping in every day." Said the small Prince. The Audino nodded as she led the way for the small Ralts.

The Festival of Choosing… What a gruesome fate for a prince… He chooses his bride at the young age of five and waits for the day when it becomes legal to marry his princess. A lot can happen in the ten years a prince is suppose to wait… And a majority of the time, love is almost always out of the question. The Prince is either stuck with a beautiful maiden with an ugly personality or a just Princess that has no regards for his feelings. Mostly, they want the power that the Prince holds when he becomes King… The small Prince suppressed a sigh. Hopefully the Princesses would be fair for him.

"Here we are, my Prince. Your father awaits you beyond these doors. Good luck at the ceremony. May you choose a fair maiden." Said the Audino happily as she opened the large doors for the Prince. The small Ralts was brought out of his thoughts and found himself facing the Royal Hall. A long, masterfully designed streak of red carpet stretched through the entire hall, connection the doorway to the four thrones at the far end of the room. The King, the Prince's father, sat proudly on the largest throne of the four. Several maids were running about the hall, preparing for the ceremony to come.

"Crails! What did we say about sleeping in! And on this most joyous occasion too! What would your mother say!" Boomed the proud king from his throne. The maids continued to run about the hall as the small Prince began to walk the carpet towards his father.

"Forgive me, Father. I guess I kinda forgot about today…" Muttered the Prince. The King leaned in on one of the maid Audino beside him. His large golden crown nearly fell off his equally large head with every movement he made.

"What did he say?" Asked the proud Emboar. The crimson cape he wore was twice his size, and that was saying something, considering the size of the king himself.

"He said he forgot, my King." Responded the Audino. The King smirked. He wished he had the hypersensitive ears the Audino species had. They came in handy in situations like this. Of course, he would never admit it.

"but how could you forget a day like this! Today is the day of the Festival of Choosing! The day you choose your own bride! And I wish I was in your position, hell, many male Pokémon would! The most beautiful maidens in all the land, and they're all yours to choose! Why, if I was in your position…"Only the Audino beside the King saw the trickle of blood that emitted from the King's snout.

"Dirty father, they are only children." The Prince rolled his eyes as he finally made it to the thrones. He sat on the small throne beside his father, the smallest of the four in fact.

"Yes well… Attractive children at that! Anyhow, this festival was how I met your mother." The King smiled at the blissful memory. The Prince knew the story all too well. It truly was quite romantic, though he, like his father, would never admit it.

"Speaking of which, where is mother? And Vic, for that fact?" Asked the Prince.

"Ah, well, preparing for the ceremony of course! Expect to wait a while, son. You know how Pokewomen are with getting ready." The two shared a chuckle at that. "And don't call your sister that! You know it drives her mad when you do."

"Alright, for the sake of this ceremony, I'll stop calling Vic, Vic."Snickered the young Prince. It was the King's turn to roll his eyes this time. Crails had been calling his older sister Vic ever since he was born. Her real name was Victoria. After a while it stuck, and that was all he called her. Of course it annoyed her, but the two were just adorable when they argued. No complaint from the King. The small Ralts smiled to himself. Thus, the two men of the Royal Family began to wait for their second half. As they waited, the ceremony drew closer, and the Royal Hall was quickly filled with nobles and commoners on both sides of the royal carpet. Finally, when the ceremony was about to begin, the Queen and Princess appeared.

An elegant Gardevoir strolled into the royal hall, instantly catching the eyes of every Pokémon in the room. She donned clothing better fit for a sadist than a queen. A simple black dress that revealed a little bit more than the King wanted to, and a black cape that dragged behind her, almost as big as the King's cape. Her bust showed quite well, as well as some leg. Okay, a lot of leg. A small, tight collar straddled her neck neatly. Many of the Pokémon had a hard time looking away, but who would want to, and who could blame them? Even a majority of the female Pokémon were struck with her beauty. Following closely behind her was the Princess, the Prince's sister. She too, wore a black dress that fit her all too well. No black collar however, much to the disappointment of the young boys in the crowd. She seemed to hide her face in embarrassment.

"Ah, Gardevoir! It's good to see you could attend your sons ceremony!"Mocked the mighty Emboar as the Queen took up a seat on the throne beside him. The Gardevoir scoffed, the Princess sitting on the throne beside hers.

"Come off it, Emboar. I wanted the other Princesses too know that my daughter is just as beautiful as they are, if not more so! Isn't that right, sweetie?" Asked the Gardevoir as she turned to face her daughter. The small Kirlia nodded shyly.

"Y-Y-Yes mother."She said. The Gardevoir then turned to her son, who was looking away rather uncomfortably. He hated it when his mother would dress in such a manner. To this special occasion as well. Well, at least he'd have the Princesses to look at…

"I'm glad to see that my little Crails is dressed for the occasion! You look adorable, sweetie." Said the Queen happily. The small Prince muttered a thanks, and before anyone could say anything else, the large doors opened and the trumpets sounded out, marking the start of the ceremony.

"It seems the cavalry is here…"Muttered the Prince as he eased heavily into his throne.

The first of the Princesses to arrive to through the open doors was from the Kingdom of Breezious. The adorable Petilil was carried in through the hall by several Machoke, which, according to Crails, was completely unnecessary since she was so… Tiny. She didn't look no bigger than a Lucky Egg! But her cuteness made up for that fact. She was smiling, her eyes closed as she was being carried through the hall. Many Pokémon were awing at her cuteness. The Prince studied the Petilil. She seemed awfully young, of course, that could be how her species was. Still… A little too young. But cute nonetheless… A little too cute. He glanced at his father beside him, who was awing the Petilil more than anyone else in the room. He could see the trickle of blood that ran down his snout and rolled his eyes. The young Prince rolled his eyes before turning to the Petilil once more. He noticed she was looking at him all along. Him and his small frame. Now that he thought about it, the two were almost the same size… He felt like a hypocrite. The small Princess was placed upon the floor in front of the four thrones. She bowed happily before taking a seat in her makeshift throne, which was a pillow twice her size. Just then, the King leaned in on his son.

"Crails… Choose the Petilil…"He whispered before returning to his normal position in the throne. The small Prince suppressed a sigh. It was going to be a long ceremony.

The trumpets sounded out again, and the Princess to come through the doors this time was from the Kingdom of Stalinda. The small Gothita, not as small as the Petilil, noted the Prince, was carried into the room by two Gurdurr, who held a hard gaze on the crowds in the hall. She sat upon her own makeshift throne, which was actually a throne. Albeit it was black, and a bit smaller than his own throne, but a throne nonetheless. As she was carried towards the thrones, she was staring at the Prince and only the Prince the entire time. She didn't blink once. The Prince suppressed a shudder as the Stalinda Princess was placed on the floor beside the Petilil and her followers. She bowed elegantly before taking a seat on her throne. As they waited for the third Princess to come, the small Prince heard someone call out to him telepathically.

"Hey cutie."Said the voice. It sounded awfully frilly and… Seductive! The small Prince looked around the large hall, trying to find the source of the message before his eyes settled upon the Gothita, who nodded as she tried to wink. He gulped, not saying anything or replying to the message in hopes that she'd keep quiet.

"I know you can hear me! I can see it in those amazing eyes of yours! Stop ignoring me!"Screamed the Gothita telepathically. After a moment of silence between the two, she added. "Ooohhhh but it only makes me want you even more." The small Prince shuddered in his throne and eased into it even more. This was going to be a really long ceremony.

The trumpets sounded out once more and the Princess to come through the large doors this time was from the Kingdom of Rockfort. The lone Mawile walked across the red carpet, her followers staying a little farther behind than usual. Most likely due to the jaw that that seemed to glare at everything it saw… Which was odd since it didn't have eyes… The small Prince suppressed another shudder. The Mawile sat beside the Petilil on the bare carpet, no makeshift throne whatsoever. That was a first. She bowed respectably to the King and Queen before turning to the small Prince. Then she smiled. It was a beautiful smile, and the Prince had a hard time trying to look away. He quickly averted his gaze and turned to his father, but regretted it as soon as he saw the nosebleed upon his face.

"Father…"Muttered the Prince. He sighed before easing into his chair even more. The Queen and Princess chuckled. Such was the effects of Charm.

For the fourth time that day, the trumpets sounded out. The second last Princess to appear was from Aquanelle. A small Phione walked in, accompanied by a slightly bigger Manaphy. The two seemed absolutely adorable together! Much to the dismay of the Prince, however. His mother seemed quite smitten with them, and when the Queen was quite smitten with something, she wanted it. The Manaphy glared at everyone that looked at the two. He was here to protect his sister, that much was obvious. It seemed he didn't trust the followers that were sent to look after her. Nobody seemed to mind the appearance of the Prince, however. They were all just focused on the two. The Princess was holding onto her brothers arm with one watery arm, the other raised up to her mouth as she looked at her surroundings. The small Prince realized how old she was jus then. She barely reached the age of two! A toddler! A toddler was sent to be his bride! She did look cute though. He just hoped his father wasn't having another nosebleed. That would be a problem. The two siblings sat on the opposite side of the carpet where the three other Princesses sat. They bowed respectably before sitting down. Despite being mostly composed of water, they left no traces of liquid behind. Impressive. The small Prince turned to his father to see what his take would be on this. He had given up all hope on that when he saw the blood flowing again.

"I give up Father, you are far too messed up to hold a conversation right now…"Sighed the Prince. The King only looked at all the Princesses before him. So many… In one room… Before him…

The King was snapped out of his perverted thoughts by the sound of trumpets. He jumped slightly, startled at the rude awakening. He was about to yell at them to keep quiet before he realized where he was. He quickly wiped the nose away with his cape and pretended to keep looking proud.

The last Princess to attend the ceremony waltzed into the Royal Hall, her followers few. The small Eevee gazed ahead, her hazel eyes sparkling brightly as she walked towards the thrones. Her eyes weren't the only things that sparkled rather brightly. To everyone's amazement, her fur was as well. A shiny, silver Eevee had attended the ceremony! The Prince was impressed, mostly because he had never seen a shiny Pokémon before. He knew they were extremely rare… But despite the shiny traits, that was all that caught his eye. He noticed that she seemed uninterested, bored even. Not only that, she could easily turn into an Umbreon! The thought of being dominated by a Dark type… The Prince shuttered to think. The Gothita had a better chance than her. Still, she walked elegantly, with all the grace of a standard Princess. She took a seat beside the siblings from Aquanelle and bowed respectably. Her gaze then fell on the window nearby. With all the Princesses in the Royal Hall at last, the King stood up proudly and began to speak.

"The five most beautiful maidens in all the land… I thank you for considering to take my son as your groom." Spoke the King. The Gothita and Petilil giggled. The Mawile only smiled and the Phione continued to look adorably clueless. The Eevee held her gaze out the window. "And now, my Prince will choose one of you lucky maidens to be his bride!"And with that said, the King leaned in on his son and whispered, "Choose the Petilil." The young Prince suppressed a heavy sigh. This was it, the moment of choosing… The entire hall was completely silent as they awaited the Prince's decision.

The Gothita was out of the question, that was certain. The Mawile was looking like a good option… The Petilil… If there was ever such a thing as too cute, well… The Phione was far too young! And the Eevee… Well, the Eevee seemed uninterested. Plus he didn't want to chance marrying an Umbreon… The hall was silent for several agonizingly long minutes that seemed like hours to everyone in the room. Finally fed up with waiting, the King stood up proudly and began to announce to the crowd.

"Five seconds! I give my Prince five seconds to choose his bride before we all choose one for him! Count with me my people!"Announced the Emboar. The Queen rolled her eyes and the Princess giggled fiercely. She felt sorry for her brother, but this was just too funny! The Prince gaped at his father in complete surprise. Sure he was taking his time, but this was his life partner he was talking about! Shouldn't he be allowed to do so!

"F-F-Father!" He said. His protest was quickly snuffed out by the countdown of the Pokémon.

"Five!"They shouted out. The Prince began to weigh his options in a panic. The Gothita was a bi no, she seemed like a snob.

"Four!" The Mawile was getting more attractive by the millisecond. Maybe he should choose her…

"Three!"The Petilil was cute, yes, but too small! Plus he disliked Gras types for some odd reason…

"Two!"The Phione was much too young1 Too young!

"One!" The Eevee clearly wasn't interested in him! Gyaaggghhhhh! Before the King could announce his son's new bride, the small Prince quickly stood up on his throne and pointed to his fated bride with his puny arm.

"Princess Eevee from the Kingdom of Frostelle!" He shouted out. The entire hall was quickly silenced as the chosen Princess blinked. She turned to the Prince in surprise. With his heart beating rapidly he continued his proposal. "… Will you be my Princess…?" Finished the small Prince. The hall remained completely silent. If one looked closely, they would see a small twitch on the King's left eye. After a long moment of agonizing silence, the chosen Princess stuttered.

"… Y-Yes my Prince…"She said. The entire hall erupted in applause. The Gothita pouted, defeated. The Mawile simply bowed, the Petilil following her lead. The Phione clapped happily, not fully realizing what was going on. Behind the fur of the Eevee's face, her skin was beat red. The King sighed heavily as he fell back on his throne.

"That Petilil was so adorable…"Pouted the King. The small Prince only stared at the Eevee, a small blush of his own clearly evident.

"You chose a fine Princess, my son."Said the Queen as she too applauded with the crowd.

"Good luck little brother."Said the Princess. After several minutes of nonstop clapping, the King stood up once more.

"And now for the festival to begin!"He shouted out. The room was quickly filled with maids as they dragged the fated Prince and Princess to their dressing rooms. The crowd began to clear out to prepare for the parade to come.

"The second part of the festival… Lucky Crails…"Pouted the Princess. The Queen simply smiled at her daughter.

"Don't worry honey, you'll be able to have a celebration like this when you turn fifteen years of age. Now why don't you go play with the other Princesses? Make them feel better by sharing some embarrassing stories of Crails."Said the Queen. The Princess quickly brightened at that.

"If you insist mother!"She said as she hopped down her thrown .

"Your evil, Lilia."Said the king with a soft chuckle. 


	3. Chapter 3 Love and Death

Love and Death

"We are despised in society out of jealousy for how we look..."

"Why did I choose the Eevee, Audino!"Cried out the small Prince as he was under the process of being fitted by the many maids surrounding him for royalty wear.

"Hush now, my Prince! This is no time to complain, you chose your Princess and thats that! Although you really should have chosen that adorable Petilil." Responded the Audino as she continued with the Prince's fitting.

"I was under pressure, okay!" Shouted the Prince. "You try choosing a beautiful maiden in front of hundreds of Pokémon, knowing that she's going to be your bride for life as they count down and choose for you!"

"You have a point, my Prince. But it's too late to complain about it now!"Replied the Audino. The young Prince only sighed again.

"You too, have a point Audino… I'll have to make due with what I got."Said the Prince.

"That's the spirit my Prince! Now hold still as I settle this corset on your small frame."Replied the Audino, the corset in her arms.

"Audino!"

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><p>"Why did he choose me…"Muttered the Eevee to herself. The maids beside her continued to measure the small Princess for appropriate royalty wear. Once Chancey took measurements on her head and couldn't help but overhear her.<p>

"In his defense, my Princess, he was under quite a lot of pressure from the constant shouts of the crowd."She told the small Princess.

"Pressure…"Muttered the Eevee. "So it most likely wasn't because of my looks…"She said rather happily. The Chancey couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"When it comes to choosing a mate for life, a Prince looks for more in a Princess besides looks. Don't you think so?"Said the Chancey as she continued her fitting. The Eevee let a small smile blossom across her face.

"Thank you, fellow maid."Responded the happy Eevee.

* * *

><p>Once the fitting was done for the Prince and Princess, the two were set upon a massive Mamoswine and were paraded across the entire kingdom. Many looked on happily at the cute couple as they threw confetti to celebrate this happy occasion. The couple in question seemed happy as well, both of them smiling happily throughout the entire festival.<p>

"They're good actors."Said the Queen. The King nodded beside her.

"It's for the good of the people, and they know it. They're going to be a fine King and Queen when they grow up. Though I wish they were actually happy."Said the Emboar. The Queen shrugged beside him.

"Only time will tell…"

* * *

><p>The parade was done, and the couple was finally left alone atop the Kingdom Peak. The Kingdom Peak is the tower that connects to the castle that looms high above the kingdom. One could see the entire Kingdom and the vast valley ahead. If one had amazing eye sight, they could even see the ocean. Now, the couple looked at the sunset ahead. None of them said anything for a long while…<p>

"… Princess Eevee… I uuhhhh… Apologize for what happened today…" Said the Prince slowly. The Eevee's ears twitched lightly. She turned to face the small Prince, a hint of confusion on her face.

"Apologize for what, my Prince?"Asked the Princess.

"At the choosing… I was under immense pressure and I kinda chose you…"Replied the Prince. He hated serious conversations about this. And he had good reason too. He was only five years of age! It made him feel all awkward and fuzzy… The Eevee must have sensed his nervousness for she chuckled lightly.

"Nonsense my Prince. I'm actually quite happy that you chose me…"Replied the Eevee. It was the Princes turned to seem confused. Did she not look uninterested when she came in? He swore she did!

"Pardon, my Princess… But when you came into the Royal Hall you seemed… Bored…"Said the Prince bluntly. The Eevee looked down for a moment.

"Yes I… Admit I was quite bored when I came into the Kingdom… And truth be told I thought if I seemed uninterested at the event you wouldn't choose me…"Replied the Eevee. The Prince's confusion grew.

"… But why…? Most, if not all Princesses, want to be chosen by the Prince… Why not you…?"Asked the Prince. The two were silent for a long time. The cool breeze bristled past the Eevee's silver fur.

"… Because I was afraid… I was afraid that if you chose me it wouldn't have been out of love… But for my fur… It would have been for my fur, and throughout our entire marriage you would treat me less than a Pokémon!" Tears threatened to come out of the Eevee's eyes. "It's what happened to my Great Great Grandmother and It's what will happen to me!"She yelled. The two were silent once more. The Eevee sniffled as she looked away. "… I'm happy that you chose me… Because… At least this way… I'm under the protection… Of the Royal Family…"

The small Prince understood immediately. He had read about the rare shiny Pokémon in Oolacille's vast library. They were extremely rare, and for that they were treated less than Pokémon. Despite their beauty that the color difference gave them, many Pokémon frowned upon them out o jealousy. It is said that in the Kingdom of Stalinda, if a shiny Pokémon was found they would be stoned to death. In the Kingdom of Aquanelle, it is illegal to kill a shiny Pokémon, but it isn't so to imprison them. And in the Kingdom of Rockfort, there are rumors of a black market that buy and sell Shiny Pokémon. However, in the Kingdom of Oolacille, Shinies are seen as an equal. Though they are still frowned upon, and that much is proven so by the denial of the Royal Court to pass out the law to help Shinies in the world out there. Truly, being born into this world as a Shiny would be hell on Earth for that Pokémon.

The small Prince wrapped one arm around the Eevee, who tensed at his sudden touch, but soon relaxed under it.

"It is true, I'm afraid. Most, If not all Prince's, choose their brides purely out of looks. And in our case, I guess I kinda did the same. But can you blame us? We're mere Princes, not Lucarios. We don't know everything, we don't know how a Pokémon is inside. We are normal, everyday Pokémon, like the rest of the world. We choose good-looking Princesses in hopes that they'll be just as good in the inside. It would be better than choosing an ugly Princess with an ugly personality, like Gothita from Stalinda, wouldn't you agree?" Said the Prince with a smile. This earned a chuckle from the Eevee.

"But Eevee, I didn't choose you because of your fur. Yes, I admit, it's beautiful. But when it comes to choosing your bride for the rest of your life, looks are out of the question. I chose you because you seemed the least spoiled out of all the Princesses. And I was right, you don't want me for my power… I'm glad I chose you…"Said the Ralts with a sweet smile. The Eevee craned her neck to look up at the Prince, the blush clearly evident in the dying sunlight.

"I'm glad you chose me too… My Prince…"She said.

"Call me Crails."Responded the Prince as he held the smile.

"Then call me Gwyn."Said the Princess as she returned the small. And so the two held each other close as they gazed upon the sunset before them. Sure, they may have been a bit too young to experience a moment like that, but they didn't care. They were in love, it was written all over their faces.

* * *

><p>Darkness Incarnate<p>

"My fair Princess Eevee! I shall send some of my best knights to accompany you on your trip back home. I hope your return to your kingdom is a safe one." Said the King. The King, Prince, and Princess were in the throne room to say their goodbyes to the Eevee.

"Thank you my King. It has been my great pleasure to meet you in person. I pray you would not take offense from this next statement, but you're a lot smaller than how my family described you."Said the Eevee. The King only chuckled happily. It seemed to be an inside joke, for the King was huge, but not as huge as Pokémon describe him to be. But was that so bad? He was the King! It was good to look intimidating. The small Prince was about as tall as his father's foot though, and that was something! Of course, the Prince could just be naturally small. Either way, it was good to bask in the glory of standing taller than other people.

"Nonsense! I know I'm huge, but what do you expect? I'm the King! I can't always rely on my knights to protect me!"Boasted the King. The Princess chuckled along with the jolly King. She then turned to the small Prince with a smile as she walked up to him.

"And it has especially been my great pleasure to meet you, my Prince." Said the Eevee. Before anyone else said a thing, the Princess pressed her lips against the Prince's, whose pale complexion instantly turned beat red. Victoria giggled fiercely at the color change on her brothers face and the King suppressed a fierce nosebleed with a struggle. The Princess broke the kiss as she stepped back with a smile.

"May we meet again… Crails…" She said before turning around. Her silver tail waved behind her as she walked graciously down the carpet, her followers awaiting her at the doorway. The small Prince looked at her go, a small trickle of blood flowing down his lips. When the Princess was gone, the King yelled out happily.

"Crails! I'm so proud of you! Your first nosebleed! This is indeed a joyous occasion!"Said the King as he bent down to lightly pat his sons back. Victoria sighed before giggling lightly. "Father…"

"… Shouldn't there be something else you should be proud about, father?"Said the small Prince, referring to his first kiss.

"Kisses come and go, but nosebleeds are forever!"The King stated a little too proudly. The small Prince only remained silent, as well as the Princess. When it came to their father and nosebleeds, there was simply no reasoning with him.

"Anyhow, I'm going to go prepare for the night. It's been a long day, and mother asked me to do something for her. Goodnight father, Crails."The Kirlia bowed elegantly before leaving the Royal Hall. When the two were alone, the small Prince quickly turned to his father.

"Father… I wish to ask you something important…"Said the small Prince. The King nodded and knelt in front of his son to face him properly. He knew it was going to be a serious conversation, for he rarely came to him about advice. His own son just couldn't see the wonders of beautiful Princesses… The King realized he was still towering above the Prince and sat on the floor instead. He patted his thigh, motioning for the Prince to sit on him there. The Prince complied, and after a brief climb he sat upon his father's lap.

"What is it you wish to talk about, son?"Asked the King.

"… When I chose Princess Gwyn as my bride… Neither you or mom were against it, despite how frowned upon it is to have Shinies in the Royal Family… Well, you somewhat were, but that was because of the Petilil, not because of her fur… Yet you guys accepted my decision without a single complaint, in fact, you two encouraged it. Aren't you two mad…?"Said the Prince, a sad frown on his face. He looked up to his father, who seemed to be in deep thought, which was a first for the King. All he thought about was Princesses it seemed… Finally, he patted his sons head lightly with a smile.

"Crails, your our son, the Prince of Oolacille. We respect whatever decision you make as a Prince. If you wanted to raise the Kingdom's taxes, we'll raise them! If you wanted to burn all the books in our library, we'll burn em! If you wanted us to hang a Pokemon in our kingdom, hell, we'll start a genocide! The point is, you're our son, and no matter what you decide to do as a Prince, we'll be right behind you all the way. Because we love you."Responded the King, the smile still there. The small Prince returned the smile.

"Thanks dad… I'm glad you have nothing against Gwyn…"Said the Prince, a small blush appearing on his face at the mention of her name.

"She'll be treated as family immediately! Maybe that will encourage Pokemon to have a different outlook on the Shinies of our society."Stated the King happily. Truth be told, though the Royal Court refused to pass a law that would stop Shiny cruelty around the globe, the Royal Family have been working hard to help the hated species for the past several hundred years. The Kingdom of Oolacille accepting Shinies as an equal was their first step towards helping the hated species.

"Anyhow, Crails. It seems to be getting late, and we need you in tip top shape tomorrow to continue your duties as a Prince! So get to bed young Pokemon."The King set the small Prince on the carpeted floor as he stood up.

"Choosing which maidens are the most beautiful in our kingdom so you can go give them medals for being beautiful in person isn't a Princes duty, father. But it is getting rather late…"Sighed the small Prince. He wasn't complaining though, the sooner he got to bed the better.

"Exactly! So get to bed and get some shut eye! And so help me Arceus if I catch you staying up late I'll feed you to the Rattattas!"Stated the King in a serious tone.

"I don't necessarily understand what there is to fear in those Rattattas…"Said the Prince bluntly. The Kings tone got even more serious.

"Our Rattattas are in the top percentage of Rattattas…"Was all the King said. The Prince rolled his eyes as he turned to leave. Walking down the royal carpet, he began to look forward to the nights events. The doomed Prince was oblivious to the grisly darkened clouds that began to reign over the Kingdom…

* * *

><p>"Brother, be sure to get some good rest tonight. I have this ominous feeling that something bad is going to happen if you don't…"Said Victoria as she walked the small Prince to his room. The castle they resided in was extremely large and was fairly easy to get lost in. But what could you expect from the kingdom with the most power in all the land?<p>

"Your just crazy, Vic. Besides, I have to catch up on my mental training tonight. That Gothita broke through my telepathic barrier during the choosing. I'm sure you sensed it as well."Replied the Prince. It unnerved him when he heard her voice in his head. It meant he was still too weak mentally. If he ever wanted to surpass his sister he was going to have to put himself into more rigorous training. He wanted to surpass her badly. Which is why he trained mentally at night. The only ones that know is his sister and his maid Audino.

"I'm just saying Crails… Be careful with what you do tonight…"The Princess wrapped her arms around her brothers neck, his red disk pressing into her small chest. "I may not show it brother, but I do worry about you, and I'm sure you know it too." The small Prince squirmed in his sisters sudden embrace.

"Alright alright! I'll be careful sis… Sheesh… You worry me sometimes…"The Ralts broke free of his sisters hold after a brief struggle. It made him eerily uncomfortable whenever his sister got too close to him. He couldn't quite explain why though…

"Alright little brother, have a good night's rest."The Princess smiled before turning around and walking down the long castle hallway. The Prince rolled his eyes before entering his room. In truth he had felt that ominous feeling his sister said was feeling, and still was. He couldn't quite help but feel that it had something to do with his father… Perhaps he should check up on him… The small Prince shook his head. It was his father he was talking about. The King. Whatever it was, he could take it care of it. So the Prince began to mentally strain his mind to improve his mental capabilities under the darkness of his room. He didn't bother lighting up candles. Once his eyes closed he could practically see his room through the power of Psychic. His room and the rest of the castle beyond. A small bonus for the mighty Psychic types. Amidst his training, something caught his eye. He settled his vision on his father's side of the castle. Something seemed off… Perhaps he should go check on him after all… With a heavy sigh, the small Prince put a hold to his training to check on his oaf of a father.

Upon walking towards his father's chambers, a feeling of uneasiness began to seep into the small Prince. He couldn't quite shake the feeling something awful was going to happen. Or was happening already… The Prince sped up, practically speed walking towards his father's room now. It was then that he noticed the clouds outside. They seemed far darker than usual. Finally, he got to his father's bedroom doors. With a strong push, he hadn't bothered to use his psychic abilities out of worry, he got the doors open. What happened next changed his fragile little life forever…

* * *

><p>Yes, Ralts have necks. Still no reviews huh? Am I that bad? Would love some right about now. Or is it the crappy Summary? Well, it's my first story here, so I guess I should be patient.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4 ReAwakening

Reawakening

"He's my dad? Man, something must have went way wrong down the line."

One peck… Two pecks… Three pecks… The pain was starting to get a little unbearable. The small Pokémon groaned as the pecking continued on his fragile little disk. At the groan, the pecking stopped, and the Pokémon continued it's small nap. Sadly, it was interrupted again by the reappearance of the pecking. It groaned again before sitting up. It then noticed the area around him was severely hot and dry. A little too hot… And why was the floor soft yet rough? Like tiny little grains of rough material picking at him… Where the hell was he! And why couldn't he open his eyes! The small Pokémon began to panic, thrashing about in the rough material surrounding it.

"You're alive! Nylone, its alive after all!"Yelled out a sudden voice. The Pokémon jumped in surprise at the sudden shout. It was able to open its eyes now, and upon doing so he was met with a small, red, chicken-like Pokémon.

"Huh… Its alive after all. Not many things can survive the intense heat of the desert sun, especially fragile little things like you."Spoke another voice. The small Pokémon quickly turned to the new voice, and shivered instantly at the sight of a large, black lion walking up to it. It towered over the two small Pokémon. "What are you doing out here in the desert, kid? Wouldn't your parents be worried?"Asked the lion Pokémon. The small one noticed that it had something clenched in her massive teeth. It was emitting smoke of sorts, more of a reason for the small thing to fear the lion before it. But its words got through. The small Pokémon seemed confused however.

"… Desert? … Parents…? Where am I…?"Asked the confused Pokémon. At the response, the lions eye twitched. Did she not tell him he was in the desert? Who the hell was this kid anyway? It's not like it for a Pokémon to suddenly end up buried in the desert sand. Not to mention it was still alive, so it might've come here this morning. No way it could've survived the sheer cold of the night. Before the lion could say anything the small Pokémon suddenly fell back on the sand.

"… Where… Am… I…"It's vision began to blur, and the voices of the two Pokémon before him seemed far too distant. As if they were coming from another universe entirely…

"I think he's dead now…"

* * *

><p>The small Pokémon opened its eyes for the second time that day. At least, it was certain it was the same day… Time had a funny way to speed ahead whenever your unconscious… It awoke to the murmurs of several Pokémon and sat up on the bed, a small portion of the blanket falling off its small body. Wait, this blanket was a rag… Was it really that small? The small Pokémon shook its head. It needed to focus on more important things at the moment. Where was he? What day was it? Who was he? It began to focus on the first question as it studied the room around him. It was a simple room with two beds, a small drawer, and a window. It seemed dark outside though… He lay on one of the beds, he noted. Before it could further investigate the room, a portion of the rooms walls slid open, and in came a rather large Pokémon. Even bigger than the lion he saw earlier! The small Pokémon shrunk back in its bed as it held the rag up to its eyes.<p>

"It's so good to see your alive and well, little one! Truth be told, I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it! You were running a pretty high fever earlier! It seems to be gone now though, how odd… But good to see your doing great nonetheless!"Spoke the large Pokémon. The small Pokémon identified him as a Conkledurr, a mighty fighting type Pokémon that likes to use large, heavy objects as weapons. Now that he thought about it, that chicken Pokémon he saw earlier was a Torchic, known to be incredibly cute but incredibly hot at the core. And that lion Pokémon was a Luxray, known for their incredible eyes that even saw through walls. How he knew that he didn't know though… The sudden information just came naturally. Was he some sort of scholar before... Before... Before what, exactly? Wait, this wasn't the time to think about this. The small Pokémon stopped shaking as it looked at the Conkledurr curiously.

"Ah! No need to fear me, little one. I'm as harmless as a Dunsparce!"The Conkledurr seemed to laugh at its own joke. Though he was right, he did seem harmless… Incredibly rugged and destructive when it came to his species, but harmless nonetheless. "Now tell me, what's your name?" He asked. The small Pokémon was confused. His name? His name… He tried to remember, but nothing came up in the abyssal void that now occupied his mind. He thought harder, his eyes clenched shut as he grasped the rag tightly. Finally, five simple letters came to him in order.

"… I think… My name… My name is… Crails…"Spoke the small Pokémon. Crails… That name sounded eerie for some reason… The Conkledurr cocked its large head to the side.

"You think?"He asked curiously. So he is suffering from amnesia… Poor thing, not being able to remember a thing… What if his parents abandoned him and he forced himself to forget everything up until now? He heard about Psychic types being able to posses such power, and it was very likely this small Ralts did the same. The Conkledurr couldn't help but think...

"It's the only thing I can remember…"Said the small Ralts. He seemed utterly downcast now…

"Hhmmmm… Crails… It's a fitting name for one such as you! However, if that's the only thing you remember at the moment, then I take it you don't know how you got here."Said the Conkledurr. The small Ralts thought real hard again, but no matter how hard he focused his mind, despite being a Psychic type, he could only see darkness… Never-ending darkness…

"… I'm sorry mister… I can only remember my name…"Said Crails. He looked even sadder now.

"Why, I haven't been called mister in a long while… Nonetheless! There is no need to apologize, young Crails. In fact, why not stay with us until you can get your memory back?"Offered the Conkledurr. The young Ralts beamed at that. Such kindness to a complete stranger… He didn't know why, but he felt extremely lucky to be offered a place to stay. Perhaps he was a young, travelling scholar before the event that led up to his amnesia happened?

"If it isn't too much of a bother, mister…"Replied the Ralts with a small smile. The Conkledurr returned the smile. Despite his large, menacing frame, he seemed quite cheery.

"Nonsense! Your welcome to stay as long as you like little one!"Said the Conkeldurr, holding the smile. The Ralts beamed once more. A place to call home… Until he could get his memories back, anyway. Still, it was a joyous occasion!

"Thank you mister!"Replied Crails with a smile.

"Ken, come meet your new friend! And it's not a female, so you don't have to worry about your teenage years!"

* * *

><p>"Ember!"Yelled out a fiery Combusken as he jumped high into the air. A small blast of intense fire quickly shot towards the Kirlia below him. Its legs made it possible to jump great distances with little effort, noted the Kirlia as it gracefully dodged the attack. The heat from that simple Ember attack was amazing for a Pokémon such as him. The Psychic type looked at the Combusken with a smirk, who was already launching another attack on him. The Fire type began a series of rapid attacks on the Psychic type, who dodged every single punch and kick thrown at him with simple grace; dancing basically.<p>

The Combusken jumped back, panting lightly. It had gone all out with that attack, and still not a single scratch on that damned Kirlia. The Psychic type smiled at his opponent as he continued to dance around the Combusken, teasing him.

"Tsch, you shouldn't be proud of being able to do ballet, Crails."Spat the Combusken. The Kirlia chuckled as it spun in one spot, his skirt waving around in a perfect circle as he did.

"Your just jealous that I'm stronger, Ken."And before the Combusken could retaliate the Kirlia stopped, one arm outstretched towards the Fire type as one leg hung in the air. With a bat of his eyes, a powerful blast of psychic energy hit the Combusken head on.

"Ack! Confusion! No fair…"The Combusken staggered around as the attack hit perfectly. "Type disadvantage…"The Fire type fell on the ground, his tongue sticking out of his beak as his eyes made spiraling motions.

"563 practice fights in the past 5 years and he still can't beat you. Poor guy must be dead inside."Spoke a rough, feminine voice coming from behind Crails. "Of course, it could be because of your looks. He does have a certain fetish for beautiful things." Crails turned around to see Nylone, the Luxray that took him in when he was found in the desert all those years ago.

5 years to be exact. Apparently, she and the Conkledurr that invited him to stay in their shack were married and lived out in said shack in the desert for the past 20 years. They were fighting masters, he knew that much. They would put him and Ken under rigorous training for days out in the open desert heat. Crails didn't know their specific age exactly though, but if he had to guess, they were most likely In their fifties. Besides that, they were pretty much a mystery… But he and Ken didn't mind, they took them in and they were eternally grateful to them. Well… To the Conkledurr anyway…

They had found Ken in the nearby town of Escantia when he was a baby Torchik. His parents must have abandoned him at the time, so they took him in. The same happened for him in a way, and he was due to stay until he could recover his memory. And so far, nothing came to him… Nothing but another name… Gwyn. He was certain that if he tried harder, he would remember. But for now, he would spend time with his new family.

"Well it's not my fault! I didn't ask to look like this!"Crails motioned to the skirt he would don forever as long as a he stayed a Kirlia. "How long is it going to take you guys to find a Dawn Stone! I'm afraid I'll turn into a Gardevoir by then!"The small Kirlia shuddered at the thought. If he was a female, he thought he would still be against it. The thought of being harassed for his looks… He was a master of fighting, and that's how it was going to stay, damn it! The Luxray smacked the Kirlia with her tail, a puff of smoke emitting from her cigarette as she did.

"Calm down yah little brat. Conks working day and night to get you that stone, you should at least be grateful for that much. Besides, I don't see what's so bad about being a Gardevoir. Immense Psychic power combined with a body that many Pokémon would kill just to have a look at. You could have the world bow down to you just because of that! Hell, look at the Queen of Oolacille, she basically already has."Said the Luxray with another puff of smoke. The Kirlia huffed as it rubbed its reddening cheek. That slap was harder than she intended it to be, but he was tough. He wouldn't mind. Sort of...

"I am a master of fighting, student of Conkledurr sensei! I WILL be a Fighting type, even if I have to be reborn a billion times to be one!"Stated the Kirlia proudly. The Luxray rolled her eyes. Such a fiery spirit for one so young. Conk did have a way to get kids riled up like this though.

"Then expect to wait an eternity, brat." Before the two would go at each other in another full-blown argument like they'd usually do, they heard a loud shout coming from outside the shack. The two quickly rushed out. It could be bandits, or rampaging Hippowdowns! Those things were quite lethal in the desert heat, bringing about sandstorms wherever they went. But no, it was their Conkledurr, who was running towards the shack happily. In one arm, he held a large steel pillar like he usually does when he goes out through the desert. Where he got the pillar or how he could possibly carry it with one arm they didn't know, or want to. In the other, clutched tightly in his hand, was a sparkling blue stone. Even from afar they could see its shining radiance shone out through the desert sun.

"I found it! I found a Dawn Stone!"He said happily as he came to the shack. He set the steel pillar on the ground beside the small shack like he always did before coming inside. He paid no heed to Ken, who was still lying unconscious on the practice floor. He set the Dawn Stone on the table before turning to the small Kirlia, who was still a tad bit too small despite the evolution growth.

"Now Crails, you can finally evolve into a mighty Gallade and truly own your skills as a Fighting type. But be warned, once you do I won't even hesitate to put you through rigorous training, even worse then what your already going through right now. Are you sure you can handle it? Your still far too young…"The Conkledurr looked down with sincere honesty. He was right, he was too young, the Kirlia knew it too… But he wanted to be a Gallade so badly he couldn't wait several more years! Before he could grab the stone and finally evolve, Ken spoke up.

"Even if he does try to evolve into a Gallade now, how do we make it happen? Does he clutch the stone or…?"Asked the Combusken, who seemed to recover from his unconsciousness. "Or does he have to eat it…?" Both Nylone and Conk were silent. They hadn't thought about that… They didn't exactly know how these stones worked.

"Well… I can't eat it… That's absurd… Right…?"Said the Kirlia. Before anybody said anything Nylone quickly pinned him down to the floor.

"Quick Ken! Shove the stone down his throat before he has second thoughts!"She ordered. She was enjoying this, making the little brat swallow a stone whole. Of course, it was all in good fun. The Combusken reacted quickly as it grabbed the stone from the table. Conk only rolled his eyes as he watched with an amused smile. This sure was one cheery, odd but cheery, family…

"Look, he's turning blue! Maybe he's evolving already!"

* * *

><p>Cute? I suppose the last chapter was kinda... Cute. You may be slightly disappointed however. This is an Adventure story. One I hope to finish by the end of this year. And RaltsxEevee isn't exactly the pairing I'm going for. I appreciate the reviews though, and you won't have to worry about the perverted King for a while.<p>

As for what happened in the Dark Years, I'll explain that later on in the story. If your still reading by then, of course.

Oh, and for the grammatical mistakes. Entirely my fault, but I can't check for things like that to save my life. If you find any don't hesitate to point them out. Also, I apologize for the short chapter.

As for the Shinies. Every society as outcasts, and a majority of them are severely disliked. Shinies are seen as the outcasts in this world. Because they are different they are severely disliked, and most of the hatred towards the shinies does originate from pure jealousy. I can go on about how shinies were seen as demons in the past, how they are the 'mistake of god', but I'll save that for the story.

I'm fairly sure that's all for now. Until the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5 That Hesitant Goodbye

That Hesitant Goodbye

"Why must goodbyes be so cruel... Yet feel so good?"

That lonely little shack in the middle of the desert. Many Pokemon of the nearby settlement of Escantia Town refer to said shack like this. Because to them, it is. A lonely shack deep in the desert of the Kingdom of Stalinda, a little ways from Escantia Town. But to a small family of Pokemon, this shack means everything. Their home, their place to rest, their little sparring dojo, their sanctuary away from the real world. Today, this small little shack will serve as a memory of a home that two certain Pokemon would never return to.

A Blaziken stood proud several feet away from the shack, the harsh desert heat not affecting him at all as the sunlight hit him head on. In fact, the deserts atmosphere seemed to refresh the Fire type Pokemon. Beside him stood a Gallade, his gaze lingering to the skies above, his bladed arms settling on his round waist. Though he wasnt a fire type, he was accustomed to the harsh desert heat. Fighting out in the desert sand for the past 15 years helped with that. The two stood several feet away from the small shack, waiting... Finally, a figure arose from the shack. It was a miracle the figure fit in the shack at all, already it was towering over the small makeshift house. The large figure looked at the two Pokemon for a moment, as if it were hesitating. It then grabbed the large steel pillar that leaned on the shacks side with one arm and faced the two Pokemon.

"Looks like hes going easy on us."Said the Blaziken as he rolled his arm around, preparing for the battle to come. The Gallade nodded, getting into a stance as both his legs dug into the desert sand a little more.

"He always was a father figure."Said the Gallade with a smirk. The Blaziken returned the smirk as they face their opponent with vigor. Before anyone said anything else, the two quickly lunged forward, ready to attack the towering figure before them.

"Always jumping into the fight!"Roared the mighty Conkledurr as it slammed its steel pipe into the ground. The weapon was used with such force that a large gust of sand was blown into the air. The two Pokemon didnt hesitate in their attack. The Blaziken quickly jumped into the air to strike the Conkledurr head on with a High Jump Kick as the Gallade swept in low to attack the Conkledurr with a Psycho Cut. Despite its large figure, the Conkledurr dodged the attacks swiftly. Before the two Pokemon could crash into the shack, the Conkledurr swung his steel pipe ferociously and struck both Pokemon head on, sending them crashing into the desert floor. They recovered quickly and jumped back to their feet. The Blaziken spat on the sand, a hint of blood following the spit. Both Pokemon attacked head on once more. The Conkledurr only smirked, the steel pipe clutched tightly in his large hand. As the two got closer, the large Pokemon quickly let go of the pipe, the large weapon falling to the desert sand with a thud as the Conkledurr caught the two Pokemon by surprise. He grabbed both of the Pokemon by their heads, his large hands covering them completely before thrusting them high into the air.

"Oh shit! Too soon!"Panicked the Blaziken as the two started to fall to the ground. Far below, the Conkledurr was swinging his large steel pipe with one arm, ready to attack them as if he were hitting a baseball. "Wait a minute, this is perfect."Muttered the fire type. Spiraling in the air, he began to fall quickly, plummeting towards the fighting type below. The Gallade saw his intentions as he began to slowly fall behind after him.

"Brave Bird!"Yelled out the Blaziken. In a quick flash of light, the Blaziken slammed against the mighty Conkledurr with such force, the startled fighting type swinging his steel pipe a little too late. The Blaziken was slammed onto the ground the next second. He put all his strength into that attack, it was up to Crails to finish this now...

"Bahahaha! A broken arm! Is that all my boys! All the wasted years!"Spat out the Conkledurr as he started to swing the steel pipe with his remaining good arm. He waited for the Gallade to plummet to his doom as he eyed the psychic type far below.

"Looks like he doesnt want to see us go."Said the Gallade. He dove in the air, leading him quicker into the Conkledurrs attack. As soon as the Gallade got close, the Conkledurr swung with fierce vigor. Normally, the large steel pipe would slam against the unlucky Pokemon, sending it flying far into the desert with several severely destroyed bones. Instead, the Gallade struck the pipe head on with a slash of his sharply bladed arms. The large steel pipe fell in two pieces. The entirety of the desert looked on in silence, save for the wind that blew across the vast canvas.

"I win!"Said the Gallade cheerily as he held up one end of the steel pipe in the air. The Conkledurr fell to his knees, mouth agape, defeated. He didnt expect the battle to end so quickly... Much too quickly!

"You two have finally grown up into fine young Pokemon... I couldnt have been prouder..."Sighed the Conkledurr. In truth, he was sad. His loss of this battle meant that they were finally able to leave. These two Pokemon, who had looked up to him as a father figure ever since he had found them all by their lonesome... The Gallade placed the end of his bladed arm on the Conkledurrs shoulder in a friendly gesture.

"Dont worry, dad... We'll never forget you, no matter where we go."He said with a smile. The Conkledurr looked up to meet the Gallades smile. He always liked it when they called him dad...

"Crails... You always were my favorite..."Said the Conkledurr with a smile.

"Oh gee thats nice!"Chuckled the Blaziken as he walked up to the two. The three shared a chuckle at the small bonding moment. This would be the last time they were to bond so closely, they all realized. It was only normal that they all cherished the moment.

* * *

><p>"Alright dad. We'll keep in touch, I promise!"Said Crails as he put the last of his things into his satchel. The Gallade threw the satchel over his shoulder and made sure the strap would fit in neatly. All of his belonging were in this satchel, along with Kens. He had lost a bet and had to carry all of their belongings until they got to Escantia Town. The bet in question involved seeing how fast one could get a female Pokemon to laugh before the other. He didn't know why he agreed to the bet, now that he thought about it. He was always awful when it came to the opposite gender...<p>

"What Crails said, old man. Even if we have to beat a Flying type into it."Chuckled the Blaziken. He slung his guitar over his shoulder, and like Crails, made sure the straps fit in nicely. The guitar was precious to the Blaziken, a gift from the Conkledurr, though he didnt show it, and intended to keep it that way. He has a reputation to keep after all.

"You take good care of that guitar, Ken! So help me Arceus if anything were to happen to it-"Before the Conkledurr could finish the Blaziken waved his claw in the air with a roll of his eyes. The old man, as the Blaziken liked to call him, was always overprotective when it came to his guitar.

"Don't worry, I'll treat this as if it were my newborn child."Said Ken. The Conkledurr scoffed. Ken was what one would call a 'ladies man', or Pokeman in this case. The Conkledurr knew it the moment he laid eyes on him with a female Pokemon. Which was quite often whenever they visited Escantia.

"And how many of those do you plan on having?"Asked the Conkledurr smartly. The Blaziken hesitated. Damn! He got him on that one...

"Eerrrr... Oh, look at the time! We gotta go, and the sooner the better, wouldnt want to catch a Lightning strike from Nylone now!"Said Ken as he rushed for the exit to the shack. He was stopped suddenly by the smell of tabacco in the air. Too late...

"Wait just a minute there you little brat! You think you can leach off us for 15 years and suddenly leave without any intentions of repaying the favor at all! Get back in here!"Before the Blaziken could dart out the door he was struck by a fierce Thunder Wave. Though it was merely intended to paralyze and not give off any pain at all, he could still feel his blood boiling a tad bit from the elecricity coursing through his body. She was always so harsh when it came to electric attacks.

"Don't worry Nylone, we'll keep in touch! Expect a message on the doorstep every other weekend while we're gone."Said the Gallade happily. This earned him a scoff from the Luxray.

"I don't want your damn messages! I expect gold coins on my doorstep, and lots of them!"She said fiercely. The cigar clenched tightly between her teeth moved whenever she talked. The Gallade only chuckled at this. Nylone would always be Nylone, he thought. Without saying another word, he bowed respectfully. Despite being paralyzed, the Blaziken did the same, albeit with a struggle. Before anybody else said anything, the two young Pokemon spoke out with their hearts intent.

"Thank you for taking us in in our dire time of need!"They said in unison. "We will never forget the kindness the two of you showed us all these years!" And without another word, the two left the shack. The door remained open, letting in several traces of sand as the two Pokemon were now nothing but little black specks in the distance.

"... You shouldn't have taught them Extremespeed..."Muttered Nylone as a lone tear slid down her face. The hefty Conkledurr patted the Luxrays shoulder. Those two Pokemon never were the patient ones. They've lived with them for 15 years, they should know.

"May Arceus be with them."Said the Conkledurr, a lone tear of his own sliding down his face.

* * *

><p>Chapter 5 up. As you've noticed the chapter's have been getting shorter recently. I apologize for that.<p>

Though, from the lack of reviews I'm assuming that most people don't like the sudden change of direction in the story. Again, I apologize for this. Please, tell me what you have to say, I'm all ears. Eerrr, eyes.


	6. Chapter 6 The Desert Spirit

The Desert Spirit

"Hell hath no fury like a Flygon scorned. I learned that the hard way..."

The Gallade walked across the desert sand, the imprints his feet make on the ocean of minerals quickly swept aside from the growing wind. On his back was the Blaziken, who was strumming a merry tune on his guitar as the Gallade carried him through the desert. Over his shoulder was his and the fire types satchel, where both of their belongings are kept. They, or rather the Gallade had been walking through the desert for hours now. Their goal was the Town of Escantia, which was halfway between the shack and the Kingdom of Stalinda. The Gallade knew very little of Stalinda, his only interest was Escantia. He and the Blaziken had several friends they wanted to rejoice with for a long time now, and now that they were finally allowed to leave the shack, they couldn't wait to get to Escantia Town! That thought drove the Gallade to pick up his walking pace to a slow sprint. The Blaziken simply continued to strum on his guitar, not minding the sudden pick up in speed at all.

"Hey Crails, what do you think of this?"Said the Blaziken. He started to play a slow and rather depressing tune on the guitar. The Gallade listened intently, his slow sprint returning to the usual walking pace. The tune was rather odd for one such as Ken to play. It wasn't bad, it was rather good really, but the depressing way it sounded out through the desert was rather saddening.

"Mmm... It's good, but if your going to use that song to pick up any ladies, I wouldn't try it."Said Crails. The Blaziken chuckled at that, the tune stopping as he adjusted his guitar.

"Too depressing, aye? I just need to play it at the right time is all."Remarked Ken.

"Maybe at a funeral, otherwise It'd make them want to cry and jump out the window."Replied Crails. The two chuckled at that before going silent. The wind picked up in speed, but the two Pokemon didn't seem to mind. They were used to the harsh desert conditions, hell, they've lived in the desert for 15 years, all their lives practically. After a while, the Blaziken muttered to himself.

"Grieving widow Gardevoirs... Nice..."He said. Crails only rolled his eyes at that remark. He knew Ken would do anything to get into the blouse of a Gardevoir, or a Gothitelle. He had a fetish for Psychic types, which was rather odd since he was a Fighting type. When Crails himself was a Kirlira he had to sleep outside in the desert out of fear that Ken would try anything with him. He shuddered at those dark, dark days...

"Ugh, this wind keeps blowing sand into my face. We should be at Escantia by now, what gives?"Complained Ken. The Gallade merely shrugged.

"Maybe if you get off my back so we can sprint more effectively, we would be there in no time."Remarked Crails. The Blaziken scoffed. His brother could be so silly sometimes. He lost the bet fair and square, it was time for him to relax.

"You lost the bet, Crails. Now shut up and keep walking, a bit faster this time!"Said Ken as he started to strum on his guitar again. The Gallade only sighed. Shrugging, he continued to walk through the desert, the sun beating intense rays of light down at them as the wind continued to pick up, tumble weeds blowing about across the landscape every now and then. The increase in wind was starting to get irritating now, actually. Grains of sand would pelt against them every so often, along with tumble weeds and uprooted cacti. Though Crails wasn't sure if some of those cacti were actually cacti. Some may have been Cacnea...

"Uh-oh... That explains the increase in wind..."Muttered Ken. The Gallade turned around, and just as he had feared, a sandstorm was raging behind them. He groaned as he turned around quickly and began to sprint.

"Why now! I had a feeling that we were so close!"Said the Gallade as the sandstorm began to grow ever so closer.

"Ah crap... It's not a normal sandstorm either..."Muttered the Blaziken. The Gallade turned his head to the side to look as he continued his all-out sprint, though with Ken on his back it wasn't all that easy. Ken was right, it wasn't a normal sandstorm. It was a sandstorm controlled by Hippowdowns, the rulers of the desert, and they looked angry as they rampaged towards the duo.

"Ah crap!"Yelled the Gallade as he began to sprint even faster.

"Run, Crails, Run!"Yelled out Ken, the fierce desert sands pelting across him as the sandstorm got even closer. They would be upon them any second now. Man those Hippowdowns were fast for something so fat! "There getting closer Crails! Run faster!" Yelled the Blaziken. The Gallade grumbled.

"Easy for you to say." He muttured. He would use Extreme Speed to get them to safety in a pinch, but as long as Ken was on his back he couldn't do anything. His golden guitar weighed a ton too, so all he could do for now was sprint. Fighting them was an option, but from what he saw there was simply too many of them. Hippowdowns in this area are known for traveling in groups of a thousand in this large desert. If only Ken could grow some brains and jump off so the two would get the hell out of this situation...

"Oh crap!"Yelled out the Blaziken. One of the Hippowdowns got close enough to extend it's massive jaws. It lurched towards the two, intent on having them for lunch as it's outstretched mouth grew closer. The Blaziken kicked the Hippowdown's mouth shut as soon as the things breath hit them. The Hippowdown recoiled, blood seeping from it's massive lips as it slowed its pace, a major mistake.

"Ah Arceus, what the hell do these guys eat!"He spat out as the Hippowdown was trampled by the armada behind it. Its bellows were silenced by the raging cries of the Hippowdown army. Just when everything seemed lost, the Hippowdowns growing so close that their mouths and Crails feet nearly touched, a bright green blur zoomed through the air. In an instant, the duo vanished, leaving nothing behind but the footprints of the Gallade, which were quickly faded away by the many imprints of the Hippowdowns that continued to trample through the desert.

* * *

><p>In a large sandy dune far from the raging army of Hippowdowns, Crails and Ken lay on the soft desert ground, their chests rising and falling at what could have happened. They were way too close to becoming their pancakes... Way too close.<p>

"What were you two thinking! The two of you could have easily gotten away from that mob of Hippowdowns if the two of you ran seperately! Why were you carrying his lazy fat ass! The two of you could have gotten killed! Trampled to death! Eaten alive even!"Yelled the Flygon that had saved them. Yes, their rescuer was a Flygon, which wasn't at all odd. They are known as the Desert Spirits after all, coming to those in need when they have fallen victim to the desert. No one knows where they come from though... And here was one now, scolding them for nearly getting trampled by a mob of rampaging Hippowdown.

"You two are incredibly lucky I happened to be nearby at the time!"She finished. It sounded like a she, anyway. A she... The Gallade turned to Ken, but was already too late as he saw the Blaziken kneel before the Dragon type, the golden guitar in his arms as he began to strum a slow tune.

"Mad'am, please forgive us, you see, my friend, he does not know what he thinks a majority of the time."Said the Blaziken, the accent of a strange latin man in his voice. "He thought he could easily outrun those Hippowdown with me on his back, he saw it as a challenge, you see. Now please, calm down mad'am, that angry look belittles your divine features, and listen to a song of mine that I like to call... Le-"Before the Blaziken could finish the Flygon's tail met his face with a hard slap. Being slapped by a Dragon types tail isn't exactly pleasant, their species are well know for being awfully rugged. Ken's head was smashed into the desert sand, his body tilting upward.

"Pfft, male Pokemon. All the same..."Muttered the Flygon as her wings started to flutter rapidly. It occured to the Gallade that she was starting to take off. The Psychic type quickly called out to her, hoping to catch her attention.

"Excuse me! We're very grateful to you for what you did, but if it wouldn't be too much trouble, may I ask you something?"Called out the Gallade. The Flygon, now hovering in the air, seemed to think for a moment before releasing a heavy sigh.

"What is it?"She said. The Gallade smiled.

"We're trying to get to Escantia Town and were making good progress until that mob of Hippowdons showed up. Now we don't exactly know where we are, and if it's not too much trouble to ask, would you mind pointing us the way back to town?"Asked Crails politely. The Flygon fluttered her wings.

"Escantia Town isn't exactly the best place to be right now."She said with a small sigh. Confused at the response, the Gallade pressed on.

"What do you mean? Has something happened to it? It has been several years since we last visited... And anything can happen within that large amount of time... But surely nothing too serious..."Asked the Gallade. Ever so worrysome, Crails began to pace back and forth. Ken was now sitting cross-legged on the desert floor after he managed to pop himself out from the sand. Several grains remained on his head as he tried to shake them off. Seeing the Gallade acting worried he couldn't help but ask what was wrong.

"Crails, your not usually worried. Whats up this time? It isn't more of those Hippowdowns, is it?"Asked the Blaziken as he stood up. The Flygon shook her head.

"You two really don't know? Surely word must have reached you... Well, if you really don't know... Escantia Town was attacked by the Shadow Armada not too long ago..."Said the Flygon in a grim tone. The two Fighting types made no motion of surprise whatsoever. "... The Shadow Armada... Currently at war with the Princesses Liberators..."Continued the Flygon. Again, they made no motion of surprise.

"Escantia Towns run by a pretty sturdy Machamp. We're sure this... Shadow Armada ran from the town with their tails between their legs. Thats Mack for yah!"Replied the Blaziken with a smile. The Gallade nodded in agreement. The Flygon shook her head again.

"You have no idea who the Shadow Armada is, do you?"She asked. The two Fighting Types remained silent, the Blaziken scratching the back of his head. The Flygon sighed.

"How could you not! The whole world knows about them! Sigh... Alright alright. The Shadow Armada is the army of Pokemon ruled by the Kingdom of Oolacille that is at constant war with the Princesses Liberators."The Flygon was met with only silence. "You have to be kidding me! You must know about the Kingdom of Oolacille and the Princesses Li- Ah forget it. Look, Escantia Town was wiped out by the Shadow Armada. Only ruins of the town remain with several of its now soulless inhabitants."Finished the Flygon with a huff.

"What!"Yelled out Crails and Ken in unison. "The towns gone! Why didn't you say so! We have to get there as soon as possible!"They continued in eerie unison. The Blaziken then disappeared as he took off into the desert, towards the direction of Escantia Town as the Gallade picked up their satchel. He turned towards the Flygon, who only looked off into the direction the Blaziken disappeared in with her mouth slightly agape.

"C'mon! We have to get to Escantia as quick as possible! If you know Extremespeed I suggest you use it!"He said before he became a blur himself, leaving a trail of high-rising sand in his wake. The Flygon shook her head as he followed from above.

"Extremespeed... That explains it..."She muttered as she followed closely behind, the two Fighting type Pokemon quickly sprinting towards the distant town.

* * *

><p>Escantia Town, a beloved desert town filled with cheerful Pokemon that know each other very well. Most of its residents consisted of Cacturne, Camerupts, and Maractus. No secret is kept in this town without all of its residents knowing, and they get along well all the same. Escantia Town is known for it's pleasant oasis in the middle of the town, which was turned into a prosperous fountain. Indeed, many traveling Pokemon take their time to stop by this cheery town to stock up on supplies, or to rest, or to simply have a good time among its residents.<p>

Now, the once prosperous town which had a magnificent fountain that everyone marveled at the sight of was in ruins. Barely any Pokemon were seen walking around, and those that were seemed to walk unwillingly. As if they had nothing else to do... Crails and Ken looked on at the town, their mouths slightly agape. What could have possibly done this? What force was powerful enough to send an entire town to ruins? The Hippowdowns were on good terms with the Pokemon here, surely they would not attack such an innocent town. Unless, the Flygon was right...

The Blaziken curled his fists as his wrists sprouted up in flames. "The Shadow Armada, eh?"He scoffed. "Their going to regret livi-" Before the Blaziken could finish, a feirce blow exploded across his head, his vision blurring slightly as he fell to the ground. A large and sturdy Machamp pounced on the Blaziken and starts to beat on him with two large fists, the other two holding him down.

"Where the hell were you when they attacked us! WHERE! Look at what they did to our beloved town, to us! Because you couldn't come to rescue us in time! WHERE WERE YOU!"Yelled out the Machamp in blind rage, his large fists coming down hard on the Blaciken beneath him. Crails intervened quickly, Val too surprised to move from the sudden attack. The Psychic/Fighting type imbued psychic energy through his body and tackled the Machoke, the attack sending him on his side as he fell to the ground. Ken stood up, clearly surprised and wounded from the Machamp that had attacked him. If it were any other Machamp, he would have retaliated, sending the fighting type to the ground quickly before pouncing on him with a barrage of flaming fists. But this was Mack, the mayor of Escantia Town...

"Mack... What... What happened here...?"Asked the Blaziken with his wounds bleeding slightly and a majority of his upper body swollen. The Machamp known as Mack shook his head as he stood up.

"How could you not, Kenneth? The day they invaded us, there was an unnatural storm. It could've been seen for miles away, especially in a desert! Where were you!" Yelled out Mack, his fists flexing as he prepared to attack in blind fury again. Crails stepped in front of his wounded brother, his expression serious as pink aura began to surround him in immense psychic energy. The Machamp stopped in his tracks.

"You too Crails... You and your father, and Nylone. Where were you four!"He yelled out angrily. The remaining residents of the once cheery town paid no heed to the conversation, they only continued to aimlessly walk around the town, as if they were waiting for it to be restored to its former glory.

"How long ago was it when they attacked the town? We need to know, Mack."Asked the Gallade. Mack shook his head before falling to the ground on his rear. How could they not have known? The clouds were dark, hell, there were clouds for once. Something you rarely see out in the desert of Stalinda.

"You... Really didn't see the clouds...?"Asked Mack. Both Fighting types shook their heads. The Flygon lingered behind the two. "... Alright... It wasn't too long ago... A couple days in fact... Maybe a week... Time seemed... Distorted after they finished with our town..." Said Mack, both Ken and Crails listening intently. "The ones who attacked us... They called themselves 'The Shadow Armada'. Before they attacked, we knew very little of them, only that they were a dark force that were residing in Oolacille and were being held in submission by the 'Princesses Guard'. How they got here we don't know, last we heard the Princesses Guard were holding them off just fine. It was in the middle of the day... Everything was so peaceful... Nobody was ready... Everyone was caught off guard..."

Chapter 6 up. I feel like I'm actually getting some progress done on the story. If anyone would like to add anything feel free to say what's on your mind.

Until next week. Or two.


	7. Chapter 7 The Fall of Escantia

The Fall of Escantia

"They've been distracting us the entire time... We failed..."

It was a normal day in Escantia Town. The children Pokemon were playing around the fountain as usual, the females were reminiscing amongst themselves, and the males were having their usual burly display of strength. One such Pokemon, a Machamp to be precise, was showing his display of strength by arm-wrestling a Slaking. Normally, the Machamp would win without a doubt, since Slaking's were known for pretty much not giving a good damn. Except this certain Slaking, who goes by the name of Brian, was different from his species.

All types of species have their outcasts, and Brian was one of them. When he was a Slakoth all he did was graze around like the normal Slakoth. When he involved into a Vigoroth, however, he was rewarded with an immense rush of energy. Day in and day out he would run around, challenging many Pokemon to a fight, despite the type advantage. Once, he took down a Kadabra with brute force, and even though he suffered massive headaches after the fight for months to come, he still boasts about it proudly. Then came the day where he evolved into a Slaking. Everyone thought that his days of energetic wonder and awe were at an end. Except, Brian didn't graze around in laziness like the other Slaking. He ran around still, his massive frame doing very little to slow him down as he continued to take on seemingly impossible goals.

One of these goals was beating Mack, the Machamp leader of Escantia Town in an arm wrestling competition.

The two massive Pokemon sat on opposite ends of a stone table, their large frame making the Pokemon around them seem like Caterpies.

"You sure about this Brian? It's not too late to back away now."Said the Machamp, both his right arms placed on the table. Brian let out a burly laugh as he placed his own right arm on the table.

"Come now Mack, you know I never back out of a challenge. Now, let's get this done with, I'm starting to get hungry."Said the Slaking as he scratched his large belly with his free arm. Mack nodded, and the two locked arms, their grips extremely tight on each other.

Before the two could finally begin their arm-wrestling contest, however, a large shadow began to slowly overwhelm the small town. Both fighting types looked up to see what was causing the massive shadow. The young Pokemon looked on in silence, and most of the older Pokemon ushered the younger ones inside. Only Mack and Brian looked on with a smirk on their face. A massive cloud filled with darkness hung over the small town, the pitch black fluff blocking any form of sunlight from embracing the town with it's warm rays. If one looked closely at the direction from where the sudden dark cloud came from, they would see figures moving closer and closer to the small town.

"It seems a challenger is approaching, Brian."Said Mack as he stood up from the table. "I'll tell Lillina to stay inside, you go see what the commotion is all about."He said before taking off for his home.

"If it's trouble they're lookin' for, they'll regret coming to our town."Said Brian, his gaze settling on the ominous, dark clouds that loomed over the small town. Little time had passed, and the figures that seemed so far away before were now approaching the town's borders. It was obvious now what their intentions were.

As the leader of the town, Mack stepped forward to try and talk sense with their attackers. Brian and several other burly Pokemon followed behind. The leader of the Armada, at least, that's what they saw him out to be, was a Medicham. Though, instead of having a pink body like a normal Medicham would, he was covered in black, the white outlines of his body a dull grey.

"Are you the leader of this pathetically run town?"Asked the Medicham, the large swarm of equally dark Pokemon behind him stopping momentarily. The Machamp nodded, his lower set of arms crossed over his abs.

"That is correct, although my town is far from pathetically run. Listen, you seem like a smart Pokemon. Take your Pokemon, and your cloud, out of here before we have to use force. If your intentions are what we think they are, then we will not stand idly by. We will fight back, and we will defend our town."Said the Machamp. The Slaking nodded beside him, as well as the tough-looking Pokemon behind him. The Medicham smirked however.

"We will see if you can back up those words. Shadow Armada! Attack!" Yelled out the Medicham. The massive swarm of Pokemon behind him charged forward. The small group of Pokemon defending the town stood their ground.

"Defend this town with your lives!"Yelled out Mack. A majority of the older Pokemon began to rush forward from the town to help out. The ominous clouds continued to loom above them...

* * *

><p>The battle was long and fierce, with a majority of Pokemon dying from both sides. Yet it seemed that the Shadow Armada had an unlimited amount of Pokemon on their side. Escantia was a small town... As the Pokemon continued to fight brutally on both sides, the leaders of both were enduring an intense battle in the middle of the field.<p>

The Machamp stood his ground, his four arms covering his chest as they blocked the endless fury of kicks and punches from the Medicham. When he saw an opening he lunged forward. His large hand curled around the Medicham's foot, effectively catching him off guard. With a tight grip, the mighty Machamp slammed the Medicham against the desert ground repeatedly before tossing it up in the air. The Machamp quickly jumped forward and began to assualt the Medicham with a barrage of fists before kicking the Psychic/Fighting type higher into the air. The Machamp seemed to hover in the air as the Medicham got closer in it's descent. As soon as the Medicham fell in front of him in the air, the Machamp brought both sets of fists together and brought his lower arms down on the Medicham's stomach. His upper arms were brought down on the Medicham's head, the force of both consecutive attacks sending the Pokemon towards the ground at blinding speed.

The Medicham's limp body slammed against the desert floor. Before it could recover, the Machamp fell on top of him, crushing the bones in the Psychic types body.

"Leader of the Shadow Armada, leave now before I destroy the rest of your pathetically run army."Said the Machamp as he picked up the Medicham by his neck. Despite having a majority of the bones in his body literally crushed, the Medicham laughed.

"Me? The leader of the Shadow Armada? Pffthahahahaha! The leader would have made Pokemon stew out of you before anyone in this retched planet could even bli-"The Medicham screamed out in agonized pain as the Machamp tightened his grip on the Pokemon's neck.

"I care not who your leader is. Leave this place at once, before this town's real guardians do to you far worse than what I've already done."Spat out the Machamp as he shook the Medicham violently. The battle continued to carry on around them. Many continued to fall, some some were still fighting the same opponents from the start. Despite having lost their leader, the Shadow Armada continued to rush towards the town, their large force seeming to come from the ends of the desert itself.

"Do you see now...? Do you see how truly pathetic your town is? No matter how strong your small force is... They will never match up against the numbers of the Shadow Armada! Your town will be wiped out from the face of this planet!"Cackled the Medicham. The Machamp shook his head and squeezed even tighter, bringing an end to the Medicham's maddening laughter. And it's life. The Machamp tossed the Psychic type's lifeless body aside before turning to look at the battlefield around him. It was true. There were far more Shadow Pokemon than there was Pokemon from his town. Yes, Shadow Pokemon. That's what he dubbed the heartless bastards that continued to overrun his small town. The fighting type saw Brian fighting against several Rhyperior at once. He felt ashamed. He was having trouble fighting against a lone Medicham while Brian the Slaking was taking on three Rhyperiors at once. He supposed the Medicham was a leader for a reason. He turned to look at the town, to-

The town... What... Happened to the town...? The fighting type fell on his knees. The purpose of this battle was to protect the town... Who was keeping watch of the town while they fought...? It ocurred to him only now how many had rushed from the town to help. It was practically the entire town itself, with the exception of several females and all of the young ones... It didn't help that there seemed to be an endless amount of the Shadow Pokemon rushing in from the desert...

He had failed... As leader of the town he had failed to protect it... The town he was born in, the town he had sworn to protect ever since... Ever since... The Machamp fell forward onto the desert ground as a large swarm of Pokemon overrun him. He could faintly hear Brian calling his name out. Oh, if only he had stayed behind to protect the town...

* * *

><p>"The next day I awoke with Brian by my side. I suffered numerous injuries, but nothing too serious compared to the injuries my fellow townspeople suffered... When we looked around the town for survivors, we found very little. Most were just lying around the ruined town, just staring at some of the lifeless bodies that littered it. Some were burying their friends or family... When several of the remaining survivors saw us, they flinched, or ignored us entirely. It was only until the next day that we realized they had taken a majority of the young Pokemon, and the females. We assumed that they were lost, already buried by the remaining survivors... But no... The Shadow Armada took them... For what... We do not know... Yet... Even knowing that the enemy had taken our surviving friends and family, our young, our loved ones, we could not find the will to chase after them... Brian told me they were heading towards the kingdom of Stalinda..."Finished Mack. Crails and Ken had their arms crossed as they listened. Val shook her head in dismay. She had known the town was devastated... But listening to the events that happened from a Pokemon who was there... It was worse... Ken broke the relenting silence with a question that plagued both the brother's minds.<p>

"Mack... Did they... Take Lillina...?"Asked the Blaziken, slight worry in his tone. The Machamp was silent for a moment.

"... No... She was... Killed while the town was being attacked... Thinking about it now... It was probably better that way... Who knows what they're doing to the survivors..."Replied Mack. Val brought her hand to her mouth, stifling a moan of dismay. Ken shook his head and Crails looked away. "Brian told me, while I was passed out... He helped bury her... My sweet little Sandshrew... Hehe... A Sandlash now... At least... She'll be with her mother..."Continued the Machamp. The Blaziken stepped forward and placed a claw on the Machamp's shoulder.

"We'll get the survivors, Mack. We're going to rescue them, and we're going to bring them back. We promise you that."Said Ken. The Machamp looked up and saw that positive smile on the Blaziken's face. For the first time since the attack a small flash of hope began to shine in his heart. It was something about those two... They always brought a smile to his face... If only he had found them, and not Conk. He couldn't help but smile at the thought...

"... I'd go to Brian before setting out to find the survivors. Oh, and this may be kind of obvious. But if you see a dark and ominous cloud in the distance, that's where you'll find the Shadow Armada."Said the Machamp as he stood up, both sets of arms crossed over his abdomen. "I'll be here getting the town repaired to it's former glory. Expect a massive party when you guys come back."He said with a smile. Ken and Crails beamed, happy to see their old friend smiling again. The Flygon was silent for the moment.

"Ken... Crails... I'm counting on the two of you... Bring our loved ones back. I promise I'll have this town up and running once more."Said the Machamp before taking off.

"Mack... We'll get them, we promise. Alright! So where's Brian? He never said where he was..."Asked Ken as he started looking around their surroundings. Val fluttered her wings.

"A Slaking, right? I saw him earlier, he walked into there."The Flygon pointed to a building surrounded by rubble. The doorway was slightly unhinged, and several murmurs could be heard coming from within the building. It was a miracle the building was still standing at all, though from the looks of it, it won't take much to bring it down.

"Thanks again, Val."Said Ken before heading towards the building. Crails stayed behind.

"Val, you've done us a great favor leading us here. I have to ask though, what were you doing before you saved us from those Hippowdown's? Wouldn't you want to get back to doing that if you were doing something?"Asked the Gallade as he turned towards the Flygon. Val fluttered her wings again before crossing her arms. Smart Gallade... He noticed she was still here.

"I was doing something... But I've no reason to tell you exactly what. If you don't mind, however, I'd like to join the two of you. You're going to be chasing down the Shadow Armada, right?"Asked Val. Crails nodded.

"We're heading right back here once we do. We don't mind if you tag along, from what we know these Pokemon don't mess around, and we'd like as much fighting power as possible. Me and Ken can only fight for so long."Said the Gallade. The Flygon nodded this time.

"All I'm saying is I have a score to settle with the Shadow Armada. When we get back here after rescuing towns remaining residents, I'll be taking off."Said the Flygon, her wings continuing to flutter. The Gallade nodded once more.

"Understandable. You have your own reasons and I can respect that."He said. The Gallade wasn't going to lie, it was odd, trusting her so easily. But she had saved their lives. The least they could do was let her in on some of the action, she does have her reasons after all. Still, one couldn't help but wonder...

* * *

><p>"W-W-Wait! We already talked this over with Mack! We didn't see the clouds! Honest! Oh Arceus!"Yelled out Ken as he ducked in time to avoid full contact with a flying table that smashed against the wall behind him.<p>

"And my mother was as energetic as an Azurill! You turned your back on us, Ken! And now you pay the price!"Spat out a rather woozy Slaking before picking up a chair and tossing it at the Blaziken. Deciding the chair was flying too fast for him to dodge, he lit his wrists aflame before smashing the chair to pieces.

"Ask Crails and Mack yourself! We didn't know what was going on until just now! We promised Mack we would return the survivors to the town! If you would only listen to me!"Yelled out Ken before jumping out of the way in time, another table smashing against the wall behind him.

"I don't care! We could have saved the town, the five of us, but we didn't! And now y-"Before Brian could continue Crails stepped in, followed by a Flygon.

"Brian, Ken speaks true. We're going to rescue the remaining survivors of the town, and Mack's going to bring Escantia back to its former glory. We need your co-operation, Brian. So put down that Snorlax, take a deep breath, and relax..."Said the Gallade. The Slaking muttered lightly before slowly setting the sleeping Snorlax down on the ground gently.

"You always spoke more sense than your half-wit brother, Crails. Now, what is it you wanted to see me for?"Asked the Slaking as he leaned on the countertop. He reached around to grab a glass, the contents giving off a strong odor. The Blaziken sighed. Why did the Slaking hate him so? For as long as he could remember, Brian always treated him this way. Cruel, yes, but he won't admit that it helped him become the Pokemon that he was now.

"Mack told us to see you before we headed out. You could have some information that will prove quite useful, I'm assuming."Said Crails. Brian was stroking his chin in thought before bringing the glass with the strange concotion to his lips.

"Well, if you're going after the Shadow Armada I've only one thing to say right now. Be careful. If it was any other group I couldn't give a good damn what you'd do. But they... They are dangerous. What they lack in fighting skill they make up for in incredibly great numbers. Mack was overwhelmed easily. So if you happen to catch up to them, do not take them lightly."Said Brian in a serious tone. Which was quite rare for the Slaking. Whenever Crails would meet up with him, which was often whenever they visited Escantia, the Slaking always had this cheery tone to him.

"Thank you, Brian. We'll be sure to be on our guard when we see them."Before the Gallade could continue, the Slaking threw the glass at the wall, nearly hitting the Blaziken who stood against it. Several shards of glass were stuck in his feathers.

"One more thing... I lied to Mack, about Lillina... She's alive, well, from what I know... That Shadow Armada took her... But we don't know what they're doing to the survivors... As a favor... If she's still alive, bring her back. But don't tell Mack until you do. If he knows that she's still alive then he'll go off chasing after her. Right now this town needs him... As a favor..."Said the Slaking. The bar was silent for a moment.

"She's still alive... Lillina's still alive!"Yelled out the Blaziken happily. The Fire type was quickly silenced by a flying Snorlax that crushed him against the wall.

"Do not tell Mack about this. Got it. We're going to bring her and the rest of the survivors back to town, just you wait Brian."Said Crails with a reassuring smile, the Flygon behind him nodding. The Slaking nodded before walking over to the Snorlax and picking him up off the ground. Nobody was surpised that the large Pokemon was still asleep, or that the Blaziken underneath it was twitching slightly. He seemed okay as the Slaking punted him out of the bar.

The three, with the Blaziken on the Gallade's back, walked out of town and towards the direction the vile group disappeared to. On the far side of town stood a Machamp, several other Pokemon which carried building supplies standing behind him as he stared off at the group of three. The Slaking remained inside the bar, another small glass clutched lightly within his grasp. Both Fighting types silently muttered to themselves...

"I'm counting on you, you damned Psychic type..."

* * *

><p>Chapter 7 of the installment. I'll commence working on Chapter 8 immediately. If you choose to read I would love some reviews on how I'm doing. Whether it's praise or harsh criticism, I'll accept all kinds of reviews.<p>

Until next week or three.


	8. Chapter 8: Blazing Kingdom of Justice

Blazing Kingdom of Justice

"Take back the Capital!"

Several hours had passed since the 3 embarked for Stalinda. Val, having flown throughout the desert countless times in the past, knows this vast sea of sand better than anyone else and guides the two brothers towards the Kingdom. As the Flygon flew through the air, Crails and Ken were sprinting at their fastest not too far below her. They were extremely fast for land Pokemon, hell, they were matching her own pace and she was flying fairly fast as well. Once they reached the Kingdom they devised a blunt, simple plan. Destroy the Shadow Armada, rescue the survivors they held captive, and get back to Escantia Town with all the villagers in one piece. They all knew it wasn't going to be easy, but the brothers didn't think of it as a major problem. They were trained by Conks himself after all.

"Dark, ominous clouds... Oh my Arceus... We've reached Stalinda..."Muttered the Flygon as she came to a halt in mid-air. The Gallade noticed this and slowed down, the Blaziken beside him doing the same until they stopped running entirely.

"What do you see?"Yelled out the Blaziken as he cupped his claws to his beak. "Have we reached Stalinda yet?" The Flygon hovered down slowly as she nodded.

"Stalinda is just off in the distance. If you look closely, you could see massive, dark clouds hovering directly over the capital. It doesn't look good, and it appears that the Armada has already commenced their attack on the capital."She said. The Blaziken cursed as he kicked at the sand. They were hoping to catch up to the Armada before they started their assault on the Kingdom. Now they have more than just a handful of townsfolk to save...

"I see... Rescuing an entire Kingdom might be a hassle..."Said Crails as he crossed one arm over his chest, below the red disk that potruded from it. The Blaziken smirked before patting the Gallades shoulder repeatedly with his claw.

"You forget who we were trained by, Crails. If the two of us rush in there and start a ruckus, they'd have no idea what's going, and by the time they finally realize their situation they'd all be laying on the floor, dead!"Said the Blaziken.

"As blunt as ever, Ken..."Muttered Crails before sighing. They couldn't possibly take on an Armada with just the three of them, could they? Don't get him wrong, he was rather proud of his abilities as a Fighting type, and would gladly push himself over the edge to save lives, but the odds of them getting out of that situation alive was slim... Nevertheless, Pokemons lives were at stake. He promised Mack and Brian he would get them back. The Gallade smirked as he nodded to himself. There's no time for hesitation, either they do this or die trying, and he certainly wasn't going to let them kill him that easily.

"Very well, we rush in there and take them all on at once. Even if they vastly outnumber us, we will put up a fight that will rival the will of the gods themselves! For Escantia Town!"He said before quickly rushing towards the Kingdom with the speed of Extremespeed.

"Now you're talking!"Said Blaziken before quickly following after, leaving blazing trail of sand in his wake. The Flygon shook her head with a light smile before following suit. As she did so, she remembered why she was helping them in the first place. Her smile quickly disappeared as she kept close to the desert floor, sand being throw askew as her wings pushed the tiny minerals away with such force.

"Ray..."

* * *

><p>With the ominous, dark-purple clouds looming over the Kingdom of Stalinda, it was easy to see how all hope had fallen within the once proud Kingdom. The streets were littered with the shadow Pokemon that took over the Kingdom, mindlessly roaming around as they moaned and groaned. The dark and sinister power that controls them drains them of all thought and only puts one thing on their mind: Destroy anything that is light. And in the powers eyes, light is anything that isn't corrupted by shadow. The Kingdom of Stalinda was void of all light, and had been mercilessly consumed by the dark power that attacked it. There remain very little survivors of the attack, and those that still find the will to live hide in the sewers of the Kingdom. Not all hope is lost, however for within the castle that watches over the Kingdom is a force that continues to fight for the light. A band of powerful Pokemon fight to the very death to protect the King and Princess of the Kingdom.<p>

Within the throne room of the castle, the King and Princess lay huddled closely together behind a pillar as they wait for the bitter end. At the entrance of the vast room is a small band of Pokemon that fight to keep the onslaught of the shadow Pokemon out. A mighty Infernape, Alakazam, Sceptile, and Empoleon, a small group of warriors from the Princesses Guard, are keeping the shadow Pokemon that seem to endlessly rush into the throne room at bay. It was clear that they couldn't hold out for any longer, however. They had been fighting for endless days without any food or water. They were on their last legs now.

"Dammit Ala! I told you to stay back and try to send a message to the Princess back at the hub! We need help, we can't hold out any longer!"Screamed the Infernape before lighting his fist on fire and smashing it into the skull of a grisly Kangaskhan.

"I've tried exactly 142 times already within the past 36 hours, 27 minutes, and 52 seconds! Give them time, they said reinforcements were coming! All we can do now is hold out until we get there!"Echoed the Alakazam before sending a powerful blast of Psychic energy towards the shadow Pokemon. The attack did very little to stop the onslaught of shadow Pokemon from coming in.

"We may as well be dead to them."Scoffed the Sceptile as he went arm-to-arm with a Rhyperior. The Infernape grunted. Sceptile may as well be right... With his eyes glaring into the enemies, he lit both of his fists aflame before relentlessly throwing a series of punches at any Pokemon that was unfortunate enough to be near him.

"WON'T ANYBODY COME AND SAVE US ALREADY!?"

* * *

><p>"Alright you two,"Smirked Crails as they neared the outer walls of the Kingdom. The large steel gates that once kept a horde of rampaging Hippowdowns out were now shattered pieces of scrap metal laying on the desert ground. The dark and ominous clouds continued to loom over the kingdom, and it was obvious now that they were still attacking the castle head-on. It seemed the Kingdom didn't want to go down so easily, which made things all the more easier for them. "Take back the capital!"<p>

With that, the Flygon quickly flew up overhead, flying over the walls of the Kingdom and disappearing inside. Still under the influence of Extremespeed, Crails and Ken quickly rushed through the ruined gates. As they had predicted, there were many shadow Pokemon wandering about the kingdom, and as soon as they rushed in, every single one of them was drawn to them. Without a moments hesitation they lurched towards them, intent on destroying the two invading Pokemon.

"Remember our goal here, Ken."Said the Gallade as he threw his arms back, the limbs quickly turning to long, sharp blades as he sprinted.

"Kill every single one of them and rally the survivors?"Responded Ken as he lit his fists with intense fire while keeping the same sprinting pace as Crails.

"I'd rather not kill, but you got the idea. Let's go!"He said before quickly jumping high into the air, his bladed arms slashing at all of the shadow Pokemon that jumped at him elegantly as the Blaziken smirked before throwing a rapid series of punches at his enemies. With each fist connecting to the Shadow Pokemon that lunged at him, the Blaziken continued to sprint at his own pace before finally coming to a halt. He was quickly surrounded, with shadow Pokemon of all kinds looking at him aggressively. Ken smirked before cracking his knuckles, which were enveloped by the flames of his wrists as he stood his ground.

"Come at me bros!"He yelled out before sending an intense Fire Blast at the Pokemon in front of him, burning them severely as all of them charged him at once. The Fire Fighting Type didn't move from his spot as he punched and kicked at every Pokemon that charged him. His fist connected with the skull of an unlucky Azumarill as the end of his leg connected with the stomach of a Charizard. Already he had taken down thirty of the shadow Pokemon. No, forty, no, fifty. He wasn't counting, but judging from the bodies that were falling everywhere around him, he was guessing that at least a hundred of them were down now. Yet they were still coming! The Blaziken smirked as he attacked everything that got near him with punches and kicks.

Suddenly, a rather large and powerful Ursaring threw him off guard as he swiped suddenly at the Blaziken, giving every other Pokemon a chance to attack him as they began to overwhelm him. It wasn't even five seconds before his body was littered with scars and cruises. Gritting his teeth, the Blaziken threw his arms forward and yelled out aggressively as fire began to overwhelm him, burning everything around the Fire-Fighting type. As soon as he got the chance, he grunted before crouching down to the ground, his right leg extended as his eyes glowed a wicked bright red. The next second, he jumped in the air, his leg rapidly spinning in a circle, making him spin rapidly like a helicopter as a vortex of intense flames burned around him. Every Pokemon that was near him was scorched intensely from the flames and were either killed on the spot or pushed back far enough from the intense force of the kicks and fainted. The powerful attack from the Blaziken devastated every Pokemon in the area that wasn't dead before.

The Blaziken crouched over lightly, battered, bleeding, and bruised heavily before wiping a bit of blood from his beak. It wasn't even 10 seconds and they had already gotten him to critical condition...

"I shouldn't have taken them lightly..."He muttered before arching backward, a loud crack being heard as he fixed his spine somewhat. The Blaziken smirked again as he saw more shadow Pokemon heading for him in the distance.

"Now this is where it gets serious."Said Ken before quickly charging towards the enemy, his fists and legs ablaze once more.

* * *

><p>Val could see the Blaziken charging the enemy already from high above, even after he was brutally beaten by tons of them. He had some endurance, she had to give him that. She was quickly brought out of her thoughts as an Ice Beam was fired at her direction. The nimble Pokemon quickly dodged to the side, the beam missing her entirely as she turned towards the source of the attack. On the high walls that once protected the castle of the Kingdom hovered a Glalie that glared at her before firing a series of rapid Ice Beams at her. The Flygon smirked as it dodged all of the simple attacks with ease before quickly flying over to the Ice Type. As soon as she got close enough, her claws extended before she threw herself at the Ice Type. Her incredibly sharp claws dug into the icy flesh of the Glalie, it's eyes going wide with panic as she smiled wickedly at her before opening her jaw as large blast of flames spouted from within her mouth, burning the Glalie alive. Once she let go, the Ice type was nothing but a crisp as it fell down towards the ruined gardens below her. She hated being so rough, but when someones trying to take away her life, she wouldn't hold back.<p>

"Val, glad to see you made it to the party!"Said a familiar voice behind her. The Flygons eyes widened immensely as she hovered in place. Have her fears become a reality...? She quickly spun around, her claws outstretched as she glared at the owner of the voice in front of her. Inside, she felt a part of her die.

Hovering only a few feet away from her was another Flygon. Except, this Flygon was glowing an ominous purple color, much like all the other shadow Pokemon she's seen thus far. It's eyes were glowing a wicked yellow, and a long, grisly scar ran along his chest to his lower belly. The purple aura that was surrounding him seemed to be leaking from the scar...

"I didn't think you'd make it. But of course, little Val couldn't just pass up an invitation to save countless innocents from death, isn't that right?"Said the Flygon before cackling maddeningly. Though the Flygon was devastated to see her once close friend like this, she wouldn't show any mercy. He made his decision, and she made hers...

"What's the matter, Val? Why the silent treatment? Are you mad? C'mon Val! We all make mistakes we regret."Said the Flygon as he smiled slyly at her, his own claws outstretched as he began to hover closer towards the Flygon

"Don't you dare come any closer, Ray!"She threatened before gritting her teeth. Her threat was empty, however, and they both knew it. For as long as the two lived, they knew that she'd never harm him. Not in a million years...

* * *

><p>2 Years earlier...<p>

"C'mon Val! We're almost there, I promise this time!"Yelled out a Flygon happily as he sped through the desert floor, leaving sand that was blown away at the buzz of his wings in his wake. Trying feebly to catch up behind him was another Flygon, though this one was smaller and a lot slower. She hovered away from the upheavals of sand the other Flygon left behind as she flew.

"Ray! Slow down! You know I've only been a Flygon for 2 weeks now!"She yelled out as she tried to catch up to the speedy Flygon. Ray only laughed before flying even faster towards their destination. He kept it a secret from Val for a while now and wanted to show it to her as soon as she became a Flygon. Now that she was, he was finally able to express to her how he felt. And he was going to do it in a special and beautiful place.

Speak of the devil. Their destination was just up ahead. With a small smile, he slowed down as he looked back at Val, who was still trying desperately to keep up with him. He waited until she was at his side, the poor Flygon panting heavily as her wings flapped lazily now.

"You never... Ever... Go easy on me... Ray..."She panted out. Ray rolled his eyes before suddenly grabbing the smaller Flygon and carrying her in her arms, which was met with protest. "C'mon Ray! I know I might be a little slow but you don't have to carry me..."

"I know, but I want us to see this place together. Trust me, you'll love it."Said Ray. Before Flygon could question what he meant, a bright flash of light caused her to wince as Ray flew them over a very large sand dune. She tried to cover the light with her wings before burying her face into the Flygons neck, who only smiled. He practically did the same when he first found this place.

"It's alright, the light gets intense the first time you see it, but after your eyes adjust, it's beautiful..." Said Ray. Val nodded lightly before turning around to adjust to the intense light. It took several minutes, and every now and then she would bury her face in the Flygons neck again, but after looking at the bright light closely, she was finally able to adjust to the intense brightness. What she saw next made her gasp in awe.

Past the little chunks of sand that made up the end of the desert was a vast and beautiful ocean. Its waves clashed into the edge of the desert with ease, making a small beach respectively. Aside from the beautiful sound of the waves, which she had never heard before in her life, was the source of light off in the far distance. It was the sun, and it looked like half of it was underwater, though she knew it wasn't. But the sight, and the suns reflection on the oceans waters... It was just amazing...

"Beautiful, isn't it?"Said Ray as he hovered the two over to the beach below them.

"Ray... It's amazing... Why didn't you show me this place before?"She asked with a huff as she looked up at him. Ray simply chuckled before setting her down on the warm sand below her.

"I wanted to show you this place when the time was right."He said. The sound of the waves continued to sound out as they clashed against the sand. Val cocked her head to the side, curious as to what he meant by that. Ray, noting this, continued to explain as he looked off at the sun in the distance. "You see... When I found this place, it reminded me of you..."Said Ray.

"Reminded you of me...?"Questioned Val. Ray sighed and shook his head lightly before smiling again. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Phew... Yeah, this beautiful scenery reminded me of you... I guess what I'm trying to say... Val..."Ray sighed again before shaking his head repeatedly. Val rolled her eyes before nudging Rays shoulder playfully.

"C'mon Ray, just spit it out."She said with a sly smile. Ray chuckled as he nodded lightly before letting out yet another sigh.

"Alright... Val... I love you. When I found this beautiful scenery, it reminded me of you, and I knew instantly that I wanted to spend time like this with you, right here. I know you were just a Vibrava back then, but your personality, it was just so... Amazing... And beautiful... Like this scenery... But I wanted to wait until you were a Flygon, I don't know why, I just did, it would have felt right... And it does... But..."Ray stuttered repeatedly. His once calm and care-free attitude was nothing but a bundled mess of embarrassment and stuttered words as he tried to make sense of what was going on in his mind. He had an entire speech set up just for her, and now that this was actually happening he couldn't remember any of it! Oh Arcues, what was he going to do!?

"Ray..."Said Val as she leaned in on the confused Flygon with a small smile. Ray gulped lightly before looking at her. She was amazingly close to his face... "It's alright, Ray... I love you too..."She said before leaning in to place a loving and tender kiss on the Flygons lips. Rays eyes widened slightly as his cheeks reddened intensely. He had dreamed about this moment for so long... And now that it was here... He softly wrapped his arms around the Flygon and held her closely to him as he deepened the loving kiss. The two remained like that for several long, loving minutes before finally breaking the kiss and staring into each others eyes passionately.

"Val..."Muttered Ray with a small smile.

"Ray..."Responded Val with a small smile of her own. She had felt the exact same way Ray felt towards her ever since they first met. She always wanted to tell him how she felt, but she could never find the right moment to do so. But it turned out she didn't have to, because Ray felt the exact same way.

Before the two of them knew it, they were kissing passionately on the desert sand, the sound of waves growing soft as they continued to clash against the beach.

* * *

><p>Well, I derped. Been 4 months since I last posted a chapter. I know I said I was going to keep writing this at my own pace but...<p>

My sincerest and deepest apologies, everyone. Stone me, rape me, bash my head open with a bat to get the candy that's inside, whatever makes you forgive me.

Other than that, yeah, here's chapter 8. This story ain't dead yet! I mean, I could easily let it die a slow and agonizingly long and painful death for another 4 months, but...

Nah, I'm sure it'll be alright. Leave a review, anyone? I really want to see what I'm doing wrong here, aside form the massive time gap between updates. Much appreciated.


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